Weather and Haul Wind
by white-wings01
Summary: After meeting a creature of myth, the young and masterful shipwright, Heero Yuy, sets out to solve the puzzle that is his new companion. Little does he know that he will encounter more than bad weather and wind in his adventures. COMPLETE! Also read the sequel and One shot spinoffs!
1. Chapter 1

Gundam Wing Fan Fiction by White Wings

AU Fan Fiction

Rated for language and violence

Disclaimer:

"I refuse to write anything here concerning the fact that the names of the characters belong to someone else!

Its ridiculous, all the readers KNOW that already! Sheesh!"

**Weather & Haul Wind**

**_Chapter 1_**

_Prolog_

_If I were to ever re-account the tales I heard from that old man on the docks you would surely look at me as if you could see lies snaking through my teeth. I don't blame you. They are far-fetched and wild stories that scream delusion. But one cannot help but be entangled in their plot, to be ensnared by their mythical tones, and enwrapped by the imagery they play across ones mind._

_What's that? You think me wrong? You think me a fool? So be it then. Let me share with you the wild tales the way that they were shared with me. Then we'll see who's the fool._

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In tiny places, towns, and harbors that are far out of the way of normal travels, there are creatures and beings that would boggle the mind of anyone who set eyes upon them. Its here in these small places shrouded in mystery that the tale to be told begins.

He was a small man, thin in frame and hand. His long elegant fingers were well suited for things like needle work and fine crafts. His body was well made for the work of a woman. Despite his small size, however, he insisted on learning the shipman's trade. In carrying heavy loads and hauling nets loaded down with fish over the sides of vessels. In navigating through clear and stormy skies, even in the art of swordplay at which is small agile frame and quick reflexes made him proficient. Long since he was just old enough to understand the villagers had known he would one day leave them for the rolling blue waves. As a child, still to young to be an apprentice, he would sit on the pier or at the point of the cliff overlooking the islands natural bay, and stare out to sea watching the small fishing ships leaving in the early morning light and returning as the sun set, hot and red, over the edge of the horizon.

He was nearly eighteen the fall he began cutting down good, hardwood trees in the forest that covered the majority of his island home. Carefully sculpting each into well-shaped planks and building a ship from the ground up. It flouted finished in the harbor four years later, the largest ship at the docks. Its well-balanced mast reached high into the sky and the bowsprit jutted out elegantly over the front of the ship as if it were a princess snubbing her nose at the "common" fishing ships that surrounded it. Yes, from bow to stern, she was beautify crafted and any experienced shipwright could see the great attention to detail and care given to each and every individual part, from keel to yard.

The young sailor stood proudly at the stern above the hand carved figurehead that resembled the island of Lunar Ports' own mythical protector. The Lunar Guardian was a fantastic beast with the head and body of a man, the arms of a tiger, the wings of an angel, and the tail of a dolphin. Its fierce shape was seen as a good luck charm amongst the townspeople of Lunar Port and the villagers of the other, small, surrounding islands.

Below, in the crow that had gathered to look upon and admire the newly finished ship, a young woman with pail brown hair that almost shimmered blond in the bright morning sun pushed her way through to the front. Her high-pitched, almost childish, voice echoed in the harbor as she called up to the messy-haired sailor.

"Heero!"

The dark blue eyes of the sailor moved their attention away from checking the rigging to the girl standing with her hands on her hips. He stared at her for a few moments, as if her were looking but not really seeing. Her shrill voice called out again and he filched visibly as his consciousness was brought back to reality. He made an easy walk to the portside ramp and descended to the dock.

"Yes, Princess?"

The girl gave a short snort and crossed her arms, giving Heero an impatient look.

The young man sighed and then mumbled "Yes, Relena?" under his breath. Before she grinned and delivered her message.

"Father wants to see you."

Heero sighed again, inwardly this time, and moved to follow Relena as she "escorted" him home. Their father, Heero Yuy Senior, was the mayor of the town of Lunar Port. In all fact he wasn't really Heeros' father. The young man had been orphaned by a disaster that nearly destroyed Lunar Port some twenty years ago. He had been only two and so he had no proper name. When the Mayor, a selfish and narcissistic man, took him in he named the orphaned boy after himself. It was no wonder that as Heero grew he began to call he sister "Princess," as she was just as vain and egotistical as her father.

The large brick house on the top of the slope that Lunar Port was built upon came into view all to soon. The short pang of happiness that Heero had felt when he had final finished his ship started to melt away and the light in his deep blue eyes dimmed as he entered the poorly lit house. Relena lead the way into the study where and ageing man sat behind a desk, his hands folded under his chin. She respectfully waited till her brother was inside the room before ducking back through the double doors and closing them behind herself leaving the two men alone in the dank study.

"So you really plan to leave here despite my orders." The old man said, his gray eyes ablaze with anger.

"I never intended to take over your position." Heero stated coolly, this was a conversation they had played out many times.

"Gods damn you Heero! You don't have a choice in the matter!" The older man exploded, slamming his fists on the desk for emphasis.

"Make Relena your heir. She's much better suited for the role of pawn. She's already got your conceited attitude down packed!" Heero, too, was beginning to lose his temper. He'd had enough of this argument. It always ended the same way; for the last four years his father had been pushing this nonsense.

"Don't you bring your sister into this! I am your father and you will do as I tell you, do you understand!" The graying man stood up behind his desk and glared at the blue-eyed man before him.

This was the point where Heero normal turned and left, left the house and stormed around the woods till his temper calmed, but not today. Today would be different. He would make sure that this would be the last time that they would fight over this.

"Relena has every right to your position, and you are not my father." Heero shot back coldly, ice practically dripping from his words.

"You little baste..."

"That's right, I'm a bastard. A twenty-two year old bastard who doesn't have to do anything you tell him. A bastard who has been nothing but your vain attempt to gain back popularity after you disgraced yourself twenty years ago!"

"Why you... ignorant little snot. Who was it who took you in and raised you?" Heero Yuy Senior came around to the other side of the desk, standing at full height he was almost a head taller then Heero.

"I wont say that I'm not thankful for your charity but I refuse to be your pawn." Heero said firmly

The age-hardened fist of the older man made contact with his cheek and sent Heero sprawling to the floor. Heero looked up at the towering form above him, his fathers' shoulders heaving with anger. After spitting a mouthful of blood out onto the woven carpet he vaulted himself at the older, larger man with a battle cry. His callused fist contacted with his fathers face so hard it made the man stumble backwards a step, but after a brief realization that his son meant business Heero Yuy launched into a full-on fist fight with the blue-eyed young man. In her room upstairs Relena head the commotion and rushed down the staircase to the study. The crashing and yelling escaped with explosive force when she flung open the doors of the study. The sight within shocked her into silence. Her father and brother were rolling around on the floor punching, ripping, and cursing each other. Some of the furniture that had been unlucky enough to be in the way of their brawl was smashed and in pieces.

When she'd opened the door her father had been on top of her brother digging his huge fists into the younger mans face but now Heero was straddling her fathers chest, laying blow after blow into his bleeding face. After another few more moments of socked silence she screamed and ran into the room. Throwing herself into her brother with all her weight, knocking him clear of her father and into the side of the overturned desk. Heero grunted as the wind left his lungs and lay gasping for air for a few moments while Relena fretted over her father. Heero Yuy Senior pushed his daughter aside as he got up, coughing and hacking as he too tried to regain his breath. By the time he recovered and stood to face the blue-eyed Heero the younger man was already standing, glaring at the his "father" with white hot anger burning behind his eyes.

"Get out." Gasped the old man quietly and then repeated it much loader. "Get out! I don't ever want to see your face again!"

Young Heero said not a word as he nodded shortly and stormed out of the room. Relena, who had been clutching her fathers' sleeve, fallowed her brother with her eyes and as he passed her she cried out his name and grabbed his wrist.

"Heero!"

He paused a moment in his tread across the room to the door and turned too look back at her with a blank emotionless face before flicking his arm out of her hand and tromping the rest of the way out of the room.

"Father!"

Relena turned back to her father with desperation in her voice but her father wouldn't even look at her. She heard the door slam loudly and knew her brother was gone for good. Her father didn't know but Heero had been slowly moving all of his belongings out of the house for a year, his room was already empty of everything but the bed. Tears streamed down Relenas' face and she collapsed, crying, to her knees and buried her face in her hands.

It was well passed noon when Heero finally made it back to the ship he had yet to name. He closed the door to his cabin carefully, even in his anger he couldn't bring himself to take it out on his ship. He looked in the small mirror strategically hung on the wall directly opposite the door. His lip was busted in two places and a huge shiner was developing over his left eye. His cheeks were both bruised and cut, as were his shoulders and arms. He suspected from the pain as he sat down in the small chair next to the desk that he proudly had a bruised rib, as well as a few tender muscles. All in all he'd say he got away from the fistfight with minimal damage. His temples throbbed and he rubbed the back of his head tenderly where he'd hit it hard against the desk when Relena had tackled him. Heero pulled out a leather-bound book from the drawer of his desk and opened it. Within its pages were all the sketches and blueprints for his ship, each and every dimension. Notes on its construction and much more, on the final page there was a line enclosed by a set of quotation marks accompanied by a detailed drawing of the finished ship. He tapped the blank end of his pen against the page but could think of nothing. Eventually his eyes began to droop, he folded his arms and rested his head on his forearm. Shortly after he drifted off to sleep.

Almost eight dreamless hours later Heero blinked his eyes against the darkness and fumbled around till he found the cabinet where he stored the candles. Lighting one he walked to the door that lead directly out onto the deck. Looking up he could see the outline of the moon faintly through the clouds. It was probably around nine o'clock. Most of the fishing ships were back, one or two stragglers who'd gone further out to fish were either just coming in or tying off their little boats at the docks. The lights that lit house windows dotted the slope. Up at the top he could see that all the lamps at the Mayors' house were lit but one. The lamp in what had been his room for almost twenty years. He resisted the urge to spit for the sake of his nice clean deck and then went below. There was still a lot of packing and final adjustments too do before he could set sail.

He tinkered with the ropes and other extra tackle, repositioned boxes of cargo, food stores and water for hours below deck in the hold. His already exhausted and overwrought muscles final complained enough somewhere around midnight and he decided to call it a night. He climbed slowly up the stairs onto the deck rubbing his sore shoulder muscles. Just as he reached the last few steps he head a strange noise. Slowly peeking over the edge of the coaming and then seeing nothing climbed out and searched the deck in more detail with a feeble candle stub as his only light. About halfway to the fore of the ship he heard a sound like someone or something had rolled itself down the stairs he'd just climbed.

He rushed back to the stairs and saw the edge of something move just out of view as he got to the opening. He reached behind him and grabbed a plank of wood that would later be stored below deck to use for repairs and descended the steps once again.

At the bottom of the steps he heard a rustling sound and turned just in time to see the shadow of something move behind box of foodstuffs. A shadowed figure peeked around the corner and then quickly disappeared behind the box again. He heard giggling now, soft giggling as if muted by a hand. He stepped lightly forward careful not to make a sound and when he reached the edge of the box he took a deep breath and then with a quick sidestep tackled the intruder and fell to the floor in a cloud of feathers and fur to engage in his second wrestling match of the day. He wrapped his weary arms around the torso of the small body. A childish voice squeaked in surprise and struggled to get free of its captors arms. Elbows and clawed hands flying in all directions, a sharp pair of teeth sank into Heeros' neck and he cried out in alarm. Holding the thing he'd captured by the shoulders at arms length to get a better look at it.

The small body he'd captured had a head topped with bright blond hair and two clear blue eyes shone out from beneath the messy bangs. Just below the shoulders its arms grew soft fur covered by dark black stripes. Its legs weren't really legs at all but a long flipper-ended tail, and on its back were the beginnings for a set of small feathery wings. The small creature wriggled and mewed in protest in Heero hands.

"A Lunar Guardian?"

Heero stared in disbelief as it began to struggle harder. Lunar Guardians were supposed to be myths; they weren't supposed to be real! The little Guardian screeched and flailed its tail hitting Heero square in the chest. The blow took Heero by surprise and while it released the Guardian from his grasp it knocked him backwards into he stack of wooden boxes. Heeros' head hit the hard wood first and knocked him unconscious. He groaned and slid limply to the floor. A confused chirp was the last thing he heard as it all pass into darkness.

The slow rocking of the ship gently roused Heero late the next morning. His heavy eyelids blinked away the sleep the lingering sleep. When his eyes finally focused in the dim light of the hold they were staring in to a pair of ice blue orbs that were the eyes if the little Lunar Guardian. It chirped happily when it realized that Heero was awake and then in a show of affection that shocked Heero it nuzzled him behind the ear all the while burbling cheerfully. Heero sat up and the little critter slid heavily off his chest into his lap.

It seemed that all the muscles in his body were on strike, he could barely lift his sore and tired arms and the bite he'd received from the Guardian throbbed warmly. Heero looked down at the little bundle of... everything that was sitting in his lap and then, after managing to stand, picked it up and carried it to his cabin at the stern of the ship. The blond creature babbled away in a variety of chirps, clicks, and mews all they way there. After he closed the door the Guardian jumped out of his arms and climbed up on to his bed, rolling around and bouncing on it like a four-year-old on a trampoline.

"Hey! Stop that!" Heero raised his voice and gave it a sharp look that stopped it dead in its tracks before returning to browsing the bookshelf.

He finally found the book he was looking for, one that was written and illustrated by a man who was the utmost authority on monsters and myths. He turned and found that the Guardian had wiggled its way underneath his pillow and was peeking out, giggling as if it were some great game of hide-and-seek and it'd found the perfect hiding place. Heero shook his head and sighed before sitting down at his desk and flipping through the pages until he found the one he was looking for, the entry on Lunar Guardians. The paragraph was brief and the drawing was a copy of an old temple relief that could be found on Lunar Port. It told him nothing he didn't already know. He closed the book and sighed deeply. He pulled out a smaller leather bound book than the one that contained the schematics for his ship and turned around. The Guardian was no longer under the pillow but had somehow now gotten underneath the blankets and Heero could see a prominent lump at the foot of the bed.

Putting the book down on the desk he walked over to the bed and plopped down on the mattress. The Guardian squeaked and then burst into a new fit of muted giggles beneath the sheets. Heero poked the lump on his bed.

"Found you."

A halfhearted mew mumbled out from beneath his blankets and the creature slowly crawled out. It gave Heero a broad child-like smile and then proceeded to search the room with its bright eyes for new hiding places.

"Hey." Heero poked it again to get its attention.

"Qua!" It burbled happily, grabbing Heeros' finger and inspecting it.

As far as Heero could tell it was intelligent, its messy blond hair though tangled and in desperate need of a washing, was silky. The tail was smooth and the tiny wings that had obviously not yet to fully mature were soft and well preened. The Lunar Guardian he'd always read about, just... really small.

"What am I going to do with you?" Heero asked it as it crawled into his lap and started playing with his own messy brown locks.

"Tre!" the little beast squeaked contentedly.

"Well I cant hand you over the... "him," he'd just sell you off to some rich collector. I can't just let you run around town, it'd be dangerous." Heero said, talking to himself in all reality but the Guardian seem as though it was listening intently. "I guess I could keep you but... what would I call you? I can't even come up with a name for my own ship."

"Qua?" It cocked his head to one side with its little clawed hands and then followed suit.

"What dose 'qua' mean?" Heero asked it, not expecting to get anything but baby talk.

"Tre!" The Guardian peeped

"Quatre? How about that? Is that your name? Quatre?"

The little beast stuck his tongue out at Heero and then crawled over his shoulder, its short attention span reaching its limit.

"What no smart reply? Fine then, your name will be Quatre." Heero said jokingly as he reached back behind him and scooped Quatre up under he arms. The little blond giggle happily as Heero held him out at arm's length.

"Hello Quatre."

"Mew?"

Heero put Quatre down on the bed and then got up, rummaging around in the cupboard until he found some cheese and bread. Usually things he kept for a late night snack but now they were forfeit to be Quatres' breakfast. He sliced off a piece of the sharp cheddar and handed it to the little Guardian who looked at it, inspecting it, and then tried to hand it back. Heero shook his head and sliced off another piece, showing it to Quatre and then eating it. The little blond nibbled on the corner of his piece and, finding it good, gobbled down the rest then looked at Heero in a quest for more. Heero sliced off a few more pieces of cheese and gave him a few cubes of bread before leaving Quatre to his meal. He stored what was left back in the cupboard and then picked up the small book he'd gotten out earlier. He flipped to a blank page and then, with a pen, he sketched out his little friend as he ate the cheese and bread hungrily.

After Quatre finished his meal he picked up every crumb that he'd dropped and then curled up and went to sleep. Heero finished his drawing of the little Guardian and then, in a well-trained script, wrote "Quatre" underneath the picture followed by the date and species. Then he himself yawned. Except for two uncomfortable, unwanted, naps he really hadn't slept in nearly two days. So Heero stripped out of his shirt and boots and, after re-arranging Quatre so he wouldn't kick him, he crawled into bed. His heavy eyes closed almost immediately and after his breathing slowed and became regular Quatre crawled sleepily up toward the headboard and curled up next to Heero on the pillow.

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::Note from the Author::

"_Please leave a review! If I don't get any feed back on this story before May 5__th __then I am not going to continue writing or posting chapter for this story._

_Eventually I may even take it down. So PLEASE for the love of all that's good and smexy!"_

**REVIEW! CLICK THE LITTLE PURPPLE BUTTON!**


	2. Chapter 2

Gundam Wing Fan Fiction by White Wings

AU Fan Fiction

Rated for language and violence

Disclaimer:

_"I refuse to write anything here concerning the fact that the names of the characters belong to someone else!_

_Its ridiculous, all the readers KNOW that already! Sheesh!"_

**Weather and Haul Wind**

_**Chapter 2**_

The sun was setting over the natural bay of Lunar Port when Heero awoke. The blazing red colors were filtering in though the window and washing over everything they touched. Heero sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed slowly stretching as he stood. He groaned and fumbled sleepily over to the mirror. The bruise above his eye had started to heal but not before seeping down his face to cover the upper part of his cheek. His lip felt swollen but it didn't look to bad, the blue-eyed sailor sighed and turned away from the mirror as something heavy grabbed onto the leg of his pants. Looking down he found Quatre clinging to him and laughed a little.

"What are you doing Quatre?"

The little beast only chirped happily and looked at Heero hungrily though his long, messy, blond bangs. Quatre tugged on Heeros' pant leg a little and chirped again.

"You hungry?"

"Qua!" Quatre nodded vigorously

"All right, hold on." Heero reached down and pulled Quatre off his leg, setting him gently in the desk chair as he went to get what little was left of the bread and cheese. The Guardian gobbled what was given to him quickly. Heero sat down on the edge of the bed and watched Quatre eat before starting to think out loud.

"You sure are a hungry little guy, I'll have to go by extra food just to keep you fed. Come to think of it, what are Guardians supposed to eat anyway? Maybe we should go to Redenge, surely someone there would know something."

Redenge was a large island north of Lunar Port that what a gathering place for scholars and was well known for its large library and exceptional schools. It was rumored that even the royalty sent their children there to be educated. The people of Redenge wrote most of the books that crammed themselves onto Heeros' bookshelf, including the book on monsters and myths. If he went there then maybe he could find out more about the Lunar Guardians then what little was to be had here. Despite the fact that the Lunar Guardian myth had started there in Lunar Port the natives knew very little about it, other than the fact that it was beast to be held in the highest respect and to be looked upon as a protector of the people.

If they were going to sail to Redenge they were going to need some more provisions, what Heero had stored in the hold currently would probably only last a week between the two of them. He would have to use the last of his spending money sooner than he though. Heero sighed for what seamed like the thousandth time and stood, walking to the door. Quatre squeaked in question when he noticed that his friend was leaving.

"Stay here Quatre, do you understand? STAY."

"mew…."

Quatre, looking rather dejected, sat back down in the chair and mewed quietly in reply.

"Good boy, I'll be back soon."

Heero ducked out the door and locked it behind him. He wasn't worried about Quatre roaming around on the ship but if someone decided to come on board while he was gone then there might be a problem. He made his way down the portside plank that lead from the ships tidy deck to Lunar Ports' small dock, taking one last quick look over his shoulder at the ship before walking briskly toward the row of small shops that lined the harbor. It took longer to get the supplies he needed then he'd originally thought it would, as some of the shops were already closed. Heero was surprised that the shopkeepers didn't refuse to sell him the items he'd requested, he'd been sure his "father" would have, in some vain attempt to get even with him, forbidden them to sell to him. That was not the case however and Heero returned to his ship dragging a handcart full of crates, barrels, and sacks. He carefully unloaded each item from the cart and made the trek up the ramp and then down the stairs to the cargo hold. One by one the supplies were stored beneath deck and when he'd final finished Heero sat down on the ships had carved railing to catch his breath. His muscles were still sore from the workout he'd given them in the fight with his "father."

He fiddled with the small, now much lighter, purse that was in his pocket. Heero had managed to save just enough of what little money he'd had to pay the docking fee when he arrived at Redenge but that was all. Once he got there he would have no money to replenish supplies, he could sleep on the ship so sleeping accommodations were covered What if he had to pay for information? Questions floated though his mind for a good while and the sun had set for the day, letting the stars and moon take over the watch, by the time he surface from the thoughts. Quatre would have to wait just a little longer.

Heero grabbed an ax and the handcart before trotting off into the woods. The people of Lunar Port had always been kind to him so it was natural for them to praise him for his skill but even the merchants that passed though recognized him as an exceptional wood carver. If he could find some good wood and use his what little free time he would have to make a few figures he could sell them in Redenge and get some more money that way. There was no guarantee it would work, there was always that chance, and if all else failed he could get a job when he arrived there and save up the wages he'd earn.

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All by himself in Heeros' cabin Quatre had become quickly bored; he had pulled all of the heavy paper things off the shelf in an attempt to find some pretty pictures but was sorely disappointed when only one of them had illustrations. He'd completely unmade the bed and rearranged the desk chair to get at the cupboard that he'd seen Heero get food from only to find it empty except for a few rolled up maps and some extra ink wells. For a while he sat amongst the disgruntled bed sheets and pouted at the locked door and then realized that the desk had drawers that he had yet to rummage though. He peeped excitedly when he found a shiny silver thing locked in a nicely carved wooden case. The many little buttons that covered its surface moved small levers that opened up holes that were hidden beneath. He giggled as he looked though the open end of the long slender object and then while he was inspecting it closely, sneezed. As the air rushed across the small opening on the surface is made a cool whistling sound. Quatre, shocked at first but the sudden noise, rapidly became fascinated with the object even further. He blew air across the little hole again and was again greeted with a soft whistle. Again and again he blew air into the silver tube, pausing to be pleased with himself every once in a while.

His small-clawed fingers slipped once and pressed down one of the buttons as he blew air into his new toy. It made a different noise this time! And so Quatre discovered the different notes that the silver thing could make as he pressed the buttons down in different combinations, each time resulting in a higher or lower pitched whistle. He became so enthralled with the excitement of discovering something new he didn't hear Heero when he opened the door and stood in the doorway enwrapped in socked silence.

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Heero returned from his trip to the woods with a good load of lumber from which he could make suitable pieces, and after unloading the handcart one more time, went back to his room. As he approached it he heard the soft notes of a flute from inside. He unlocked the door and pushed it open to find his room in shambles. All the books that had once been neatly placed on the shelves were now on the floor, some of them lying open, face down, or thrown into a messy pile. The chair was laying on its side and the doors of the cupboard were wide open, one of the maps he'd worked so hard to get on the verge of rolling out. His bed looked like it had been hit by a hurricane. The drawers of his desk stood open with papers and books sticking out. Then there was Quatre, sitting with Heeros' silver flute, in the middle of the disastrous room.

"Quatre!"

The little Guardian suddenly stopped piping away on the flute and went ridged at the sound of Heeros angry voice. Quatre turned around to face the door slowly, clutching the flute to his chest he gave Heero an awkward smile and giggled nervously before quickly scooting under the bed out of sight.

"Oh no you don't."

Heero crossed the room quickly; careful to step over the books and papers that lay scatted all over the floor. He got down on his hands and knees and glared under the bed at the mischievous little monster that smiled nervously at him while still clutching the flute.

"Come out of there!"

The angry blue-eyes man reached in and wrapped his strong, callused, fingers around the base of Quatres' tail and dragged him out from his hiding place. The little creature protested loudly as he hung upside down by the tail but Heero ignored him and snatched the flute away from him. He deposited the little one down on the ransacked bed and went about picking up the books and paper, holding the flute in his hand all the while. Quatre cowered on the bed, trying to hide under the pillow by setting it on his head and pulling the corners down with his clawed hands, when Heero finished cleaning the room.

"You can't hide under that." Heero said coldly, snatching away the pillow too. "You know what mess you made! You should be ashamed of yourself."

Quatre bowed his head and nodded solemnly. Heero heard the little blond sniffle and sighed, he couldn't stay mad at the little critter. He kneeled down and took the young Guardians chin in his free hand.

"It's okay Quatre, I sorry. I over reacted." He tried to give Quatre a smile but it had never been something he was good at. "This is special Quatre, you can mess the room up as much as you want but this..." Heero showed him the flute. "...this is special, okay?" Quatre nodded and ran his little fingers over the smooth silver body of the flute.

"Speckchal." He cheeped.

"That's right, special. This belonged to my mother."

Quatre reached for the flute and blew air across the mouthpiece making a weak trill. Heero laughed and gruffly messed with Quatres already messy hair.

"Do you want me to play it?"

"Tre."

"All right."

Heero put the mouthpiece to his lips and blew across it softly. The soft, almost sad tune that flouted about the room sound like a lullaby and it made Quatres eyes droop as Heero played. When the last note finally faded into the silence the player stared off into nothing, his mind floating off with the dieing notes.

"Mew?" Quatre mewed softly in question, tentatively touching Heeros' hand. Heero seemed to snap out of his daydream and he patted Quatre on the head. Heero stood and placed the flute back into its case and turned back to his little blond companion.

"Come one Quatre, we're going to the spring." Heero picked up Quatre and clean change of closes before backing out of the room and walking off the ship and down a path that wove through the forest.

Quatre, from his perch sitting on Heeros' shoulder, looked all around him. The sun had set a few hours ago and so most of the townsfolk were home already. The streets, except those near the center of town, were all but empty. There was no one on the forest path ether, which was good because Heero would have had a hard time explaining why there was a mythical creature sitting on his shoulder. Quatre burbled happily as they walked through the woods, their way lighted by was moonlight found its way through the thick canopy of leaves above their heads. The clearing, way back in the deep heart of the woods, opened up and reveled a clear water hot spring. Heero kneeled by the waters edge and tested the warmth with is hand, its was balmy but not hot, just the right temperature for bathing. Quatre leapt from Heeros shoulder into the water and swam around beneath the surface, coming up the chirp at his human friend who was wiping the water that Quatre had splashed on him from his face.

Quatre was quite content in the water. He ducked back underneath the surface and used his dolphin like tail to power around the large spring. Heero smirked at the Guardian and peeled out of his shirt, pulling the now damp fabric over his shoulder and head to expose the toned body it had hidden. There were a few yellowing bruises that dotted his tanned skin, left over trophies from the fight with his "father." Next came the shoes and socks, followed by the pants, all of which were thrown into a pile next to the neatly folded change of cloths that he'd brought with him. Heero slid into the water and just let the relieving feeling of the warm water sink in. After a while he dunked himself under the water, scrubbing his hair furiously with his fine-fingered hands, and then surfacing again to let the water drip from the long tendrils of dark brown hair back into the warm spring. He called Quatre, who was happily splashing about on the other side of the spring, and motioned for him to come over. The little blond obeyed curiously, but wished he hadn't later.

Heero grabbed Quatre and started to clean the blonds hair the way he'd done his own. The little Guardian could breath under water it seamed so he could scrub as long as he wanted. The trick was getting Quatre to stay still long enough to finish. The little blond, when finally done, was discovered to have very bright flaxen hair that shimmered wet in the moonlight. Heero then reached back into the pocket of his pants and pulled out the pair of scissors he'd hidden there before leaving his ship and proceeded to trim Quatres hair. In the end the little one looked down right frustrated but somewhat please as he could now see without having to sweep his bangs out of the way.

"There now, isn't that better?"

Quatre warbled a few notes of thanks before ducking back into the water and going back to swimming around. Heero climbed out of the spring and pulled one the fresh pair of pants. He'd just fastened the last button when he heard something in the brush under the shadows of the trees. He turned and shushed Quatre who was giggling near the edge. The little Guardian fell silent and sunk into the water so that just his eyes were peeking out above its glassy surface.

"Who's there?" Heero demanded, calling into the forest.

"Heero?" A brush swept Relena stumbled out from the underbrush.

"Relena? What are you doing out here?"

"I came to find you. Please come home Heero."

"No."

"Heero?"

"I'm leaving for Redenge in the morning, and besides I believe your father disowned me." He turned away from his "guest" and reached down, picking up his fresh shirt and slipping it over his shoulders.

"Please Heero, I know Father didn't mean it. He was just angry."

"He's angry a lot."

"Heero!"

Heero turned his head and gave Relena a short glare before turning back around and starting to fold the other cloths neatly.

"Go home Princess."

"But..."

"Go home!" He barked gruffly, Relena flinched behind him but instead of turning to she ran forward and threw herself on Heero, sobbing.

"Heero, please?" she pleaded in-between her sobs.

"Relena! Get off..." Heero shoved her away from him and sent her sprawling onto her spoiled butt. "Go back to the house Relena."

"So... you're never coming back?"

Heero shook his head. No, he was never going back. Tomorrow he was leaving and that would be the end of it. If he ever came back to Lunar Port it would be by accident. Behind him he could hear Relena sobbing as she wandered back the way she came. The night silence took over but Heero waited until the sounds of Relenas' sobbing had died away completely before he gave the okay for Quatre to start making noise again. The little Guardian gladly started splashing about, swimming enthusiastically here and there around the spring. Occasionally he would bring a shinny rock or other interesting object back to Heero and show it off like a prize, but after some time Quatres enthusiasm waned and he started to grow sleepy. He slowly climbed out of the spring and shook himself dry, his wet hair flinging drops of water in all directions.

"Ready to go back?" Heero questioned. He'd almost fallen asleep in the grass beside the hot spring and so he stretched before gathering up the cloths and Quatre in his arms and making the trip back to the his ship.

The town was truly settled by the time they arrived back on deck. There were only a few windows still flickering with lantern light. It was just as well, Heero thought as he slid into his quarters, placing an already sleeping Quatre on the bed. Heero kicked off his soft leather boots and took one last look around the dark room before settling himself beneath the winkled blankets. Tomorrow he... they, were finally leaving and he would need what sleep he could get. Heero shifted around several times before finally drifting off to sleep.

Morning came to early as Heero was awakened by the sounds of the local fisherman gathering themselves up to prepare to go out for the day. He sat up and rubbed his shoulders before pushing himself off the bed toward the door. Quatre stirred for a moment and then snuggled back into the sheets after noting that the noise was only Heero preparing for the day. The sun had yet to peek its brilliant head over the waters surface and yet the little harbor of Lunar Port was already busy and very much alive. Heero, who was now on deck, went about checking all the yards and made sure that the lanyards he'd tied off the previous day had not slipped. He made one more sweep of the hold, gathering some supplies to feed himself and Quatre later, before he weighed the anchor and unfurled the main sail. A few of the men on the docks shouted and waved their goodbyes when Heeros' ship pulled away from the docks. Heero waved back from behind the wheel, and in a very short time he was out at open sea. Once he was a safe distance away from the bay he brought the ship about in the direction of Redenge. He smiled at the easy, smooth movement of his vessel. He'd rigged it so carefully that even the slightest touch would change her course. He locked the rudder to keep her on course before descending to his room to rouse Quatre.

The little ball of newly wakened energy was already up and he jumped at Heero when he opened the door. Quatre babbled happily when he noticed the food stuffs in Heeros' hand, climbing up into the chair and leaning forward with his little palms on the table chirping excitedly he waited for his friend to hand him his share before hopping up to sit on the table top. Heero in turn sat on the chair and the two quickly finished off the morning meal. Heero, when he returned to the deck, left the door to his quarters open so that Quatre could come and go freely from the small room.

Quatre went about his own business for the better part of the day; looking at this, inspecting that, brining little bits of thing to Heero when he thought they were interesting. When the young Guardian noticed the full white sails he peeped excitedly. He called out something over and over, bouncing about and pointing to them. Heero couldn't quite hear what his companion was saying. It was different from the normal chirps and quarks, it sounded more like a formed word.

"What is it Quatre?"

"Dwinks!"

"What?" Heero locked the wheel again and approached the Guardian.

"Dwings!"

"Dwings? Do you mean 'wings'?"

"Dwings." Quatre nodded and smiled as he pointed at the white sails.

"Well I suppose they're like wings, of a sort." Heero answered and then a light flickered on in his head. The name. The name he'd been unable to come up with for so long, that was it! He rushed to his room and pulled out he book of blueprints flipping hurriedly to the last page. Grabbing up his pen he wrote, in an elegant, well-practiced hand, the word "Wing" on the line he'd designated for the official name of his ship.

A small chirp of question sounded from the door and Heero turned to see Quatre peeking into the dim room. Heero chuckled, a rare thing for him, as he put his pen down and stood. He made his way to the door and picked Quatre up and returned with him to the wheel. He looked out over his ship with Quatre sitting on his shoulder.

"You're a geniuses little guy. Lets take this 'Wing' and go. Were on our way to Redenge!"

Quatre gave and loud squeak in agreement as Heero let out a whoop of enthusiasm, navigation the Wing off over the rolling, ever changing, blue waves of the ocean.

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::Note from the Author::

"_Thank you every on who reviewed on the first chapter. I really appreciate it, but just_

_because you got me to write more doesn't me you can slack off on your end._

_Keep reading and, for the love of all that's good and smexy, keep reviewing."_

**REVIEW! CLICK THE LITTLE PURPPLE BUTTON!**


	3. Chapter 3

Gundam Wing Fan Fiction by White Wings

AU Fan Fiction

Rated for language and violence

Disclaimer:

"_I refuse to write anything here concerning the fact that the names of the characters belong to someone else!_

_Its ridiculous, all the readers KNOW that already! Sheesh!"_

------------------

::Note from the Author::

_This chapter is for matured teens. Some of the following scenes suggest material that parents _

_may find offensive and/or not suitable for readers under the age of sixteen. __**You have been warned.**_

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**Weather and Haul Wind**

_**Chapter 3**_

It had been a week and three days since Heero had set out to see with his little blond companion. They were almost half way to Redenge if Heero read the star charts correctly. Today as he stood on the Wing's deck, checking the condition of the rigging and sails, he breathed in the damp sea air. He licked his lips. The air was strangely salty today and he could smell the rain clouds building up somewhere. There was going to be a storm tonight, a big one. Heero watched a Quatre, who had grown almost four inches during the last week and a half, wandered around on the deck nervously. He could feel it too, the storm that was approaching. According to his map there was an island not to far from their current location, he'd steer the Wing there and wait out the storm before moving on to Redenge. The only thing that worried him was that the island he was heading towards had a bad reputation as a hang out for pirates.

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It wasn't strange to see children running around without parents here. Larker Island was a safe haven for pirates and so had plenty of whores, which meant plenty of bastard children. Even less uncommon was to see a young person sleeping in the alleyways in-between the brothels and bars. People who got a little to frisky with the "help" or a little "rambunctious" during a game of cards were often thrown out by other privateers, and sometimes the owner of the establishment.

He wasn't one of these people but he did take advantage of their situation. Picking the pockets of the men who were loaded to the gunwhales was easier then trying to work an honest job. With the cash he collected he bought food and ale for himself. It was a dog eat dog world and he'd be darned if he were going to be the one eaten. After a successful "raid" he sat on the top of a water barrel, quietly counting his booty, six pieces of copper and a silver piece, not bad for an old waister. He'd eat well tonight that was for sure. He shoved the cash into the pocket of his tattered pants as a group of scruffy looking jacks sauntered past on the way back to their ship. They were pretty well dressed for a group of pirates, it was safe to say that they'd done pretty well for themselves and one might be able to find something worth selling way back in the back of their cargo hold. The young thief waited until they disappeared beneath deck before hopping off his barrel and following them.

Sneaking up the gangplank he peeked his head up over the railing and then slunk over toward the opening in the deck that lead to the cargo hold. After looking in and making sure that he was completely alone he jumped down and started searching about. Looking into boxes and chests of various objects. So far nothing looked interesting and he worked his way deeper and deeper into the ship. He was searching trough one very promising crate of goods when a large hand rested on thin shoulder.

"What do we have here?" said a gruff, sea aged voice.

The thief went ridged as he turned his head slowly. He grinned at the four men behind him sheepishly.

"Well hello there. You wouldn't happen to have seen a cat around here would you?" the boy said, hopping that these men were as stupid as they looked.

He had no such luck unfortunately. The man closest to him gave a hardy laugh and slapped the kid on the back.

"Ha! That's a good one brat. Come on." He wrapped his arm around the boys' waist and threw him up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and dragged him off toward the captains' quarters.

The captain of this vessel was a heavy set, well muscled man with a full beard and thick curry hair that hung to his shoulders in a tangle of random curls. His eyes were as dark and cold as the sky outside was becoming as a storm rolled in. He was sitting behind a large desk when his crew dragged in the thin thief. The captain, Edmar, gave the four men and the boy a suspicious look. Before grunting out a rough "What cha want?"

"We found this kid snoopin' round in the hold. Though you'd wana know."

"I wasn't snoopin'. I was lookin' for ma cat!"

"Sure, and 'm the King of Shevalt." The man growled back. Lifting the thief off his shoulder and dropping harshly on the floor.

The dry slip of leather that kept the boys long, unruly, chestnut hair tide back out of his face, snapped and let it fall over his shoulders and down his back in tangled locks. Edmar raised an eyebrow and his crew snickered. The old man stood up from behind his map-covered desk, crossing the room to a dresser that sat on the wall. Rummaging around as he looked for something specific.

"Ya know what the punishment of snoopin' is on this ship kid?" Edmar said in his deep gravely voice.

The chestnut haired thief shook his head "no" but didn't like where this was going, or the oddly hungry looks he was getting from the crewmembers.

"Ya get to wear this,' the captain pulled a long elegant looking dress, like something a bar wench would wear, out of the dresser. 'for me."

The young pick pocket started to laugh nervously. His voice cracking as he reassured the older man that it wasn't really necessary. Standing, he put his hands up in defeat and backed away from the advancing captain.

"Really, it's a generous offer but I don't need somethin' like that, being a guy and all." The boy said nervously. The tick fingered hands of the man who'd carried him out of the cargo hold placed themselves on his shoulders and held him still.

"What makes ya think ya got a choice?"

The hands on his shoulders gripped his shirt and ripped the already tattered fabric from his body as the captain advanced with the dress. The boy struggled and screamed. Flailing his head and kicking out with his long legs.

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The rain was coming down in sheets now, the dark haired young man came out onto the deck with a hand shielding his eyes from the random flashes of lightening that ripped through the clouds every once and a while. He was glad that they were in a port. It would be almost impossible to navigate in this kind of weather, let alone keep the ship from capsizing. The pitch black eyes of the young cook squinted as he picked his way over the slick deck toward the captains' room. He had to tell the old blighter that they needed to replenish their supply of citrus before pulling out after the storm, or risk an outbreak scurvy later on. As he approached the door he heard some odd struggling sounds from within and pushed it open with is shoulder as he turned the polished brass knob.

"Sir is every thing..." He stopped shot at the sight within.

Two of the crew leaned against the wall laughing while another set on the desk. The first mate was kneeling on the floor, pinning a struggling form to the floor by the wrists, while Captain Edmar had one of his large hands latched around an ankle. The struggling form was dressed in a tacky red gown and its long chestnut hair sprayed out in all directions as it kicked and tried to scream through the gag. All the occupants of the room, however, fell silent and froze when the soaking wet cook came in. Exempting, of course, the chestnut haired boy who continued to struggle.

"What are you doing?" The dark haired young man asked in an icy voice.

The captain didn't move for a moment and then slowly released his hold on the boy under him and stood. Walking over to the tall, lanky, cook who stood in the doorway glaring daggers at the men inside, he reached around behind the dark one and closed the door, locking it with a resounding click.

"Well Chang, wha' tis it 'at brings you up from the kitchens? I fear you caught 'e at a bad 'ime."

"Clearly." The cook said coldly, meeting Edmar's eyes with his own.

"Well?"

"The stocks are running low on citrus, I came to suggest you purchase more."

" Is 'at so. Well since yar 'ere, why don' ya stay for a while."

The hand that was already behind Chang moved from the lock on the door to the small of the young mans back and then slid down to the back of his thigh. The old letch brushed his other hand along the high, well-defined, cheekbones of the young mans face while he grinned stupidly.

"Don't touch me... sir." The black hair man said with a hiss before grabbing the writs of the larger man and twisting it backward painfully.

Edmar growled darkly and then shrieked girlishly as the thin cook moved forward and flipped the man over his shoulder causing the body of the much larger captain to slam into the locked door. Knocking it off its hinges and sending the man skidding out into the rain. The crewmen in the room stood up strait and stared in shock. They had always poked fun at the slim cook who just ignored them; they'd never though he was capable of something like this. The first mate released the wrists of the boy he held and stood. Pointing threateningly at the cook but dubbed over, clutching his crotch, when the heel of the chestnut haired thief slammed into his aroused genitalia. The boy, dress slipping off one thin boned shoulder, stood and removed the gag. Rubbing his fist across his mouth and spiting on the floor. The other crewmembers finally finished being stunned, yelled and moved to capture the cook and pickpocket as they both bolted out the door.

The three crewmen chased them out the door and off the ship onto the docks, once the first mate recovered; he joined them in the chase. The black haired cook, closely followed by longhaired thief, ran as quickly as possible in the pouring rain. The strong winds and waves lashing up onto the wooden docks of the little harbor didn't help their progress either. Some of the rest of the crew was just now coming back from the taverns in town and so the cook and thief were forced down the dock of another ship, unable to get past, they were trapped by the pirates with their only options for escape being the ocean or the ship who's dock they'd been forced down. As the sea was rather violent at the moment they took their chances on the strangers ship.

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Heero had finally gotten into Larker Island's port just before the storm hit. He was relived to find that, because of the storm, there was no charge for docking overnight. He'd furled the sails just in time as the winds picked up just as he stepped down onto the deck again. He'd spent the rest of the day in his cabin, not really interested in going to a bar or wasting money on a over used whore. He eat a meal with Quatre and went about carving out the figures he planed to sell in Redenge until the waves started rocking the Wing to harshly for him to be as detailed with his work as he wanted.

The little Guardian was currently hiding under the bed. The occasional peep of fear finding its way to Heero's ears. The storm was strangely violent for the season and so Heero understood his fright and had given one of the extra blankets to him so he could cuddle up in it beneath the bed. Heero sat in his chair, writing in his ship log. Jotting down notes about the day, adding things that needed to be checked after the storm to his long list of things to do, and updating the ships inventory. The sound a yelling made him put down his pen and he opened the door to find a group of men, pirates by the scruffy look of them, standing on his deck. Grabbing his sword from its place on the wall he stepped out into the rain, shouting over the sounds of the driving wind and waves.

"Hey!" Heero shouted to get their attention, which worked to well.

All the men turned to look at him as he made his way over to the group. His eyebrows knitted in anger.

"Get off my ship." He barked gruffly

One of the men looked as if he was going to try and explain but stopped when Heero drew his sword and pointed it at him threateningly, repeating his words forcefully. The man moved to draw his own sword but when it was suddenly laying on the deck instead of in its sheath at his hip he and the others backed down, picking up the sword from the deck Heero threw it at them as they filled off his ship. Once they had disappeared into the dark rainy night he sheathed his sword and walked back toward his room. Pausing next to the stairs that led into the cargo hold.

"There's no point in you hiding there, come inside." Heero said to the pair who the men had chased onto his ship, before making the rest of the trek back to his room. He walked in, lighting the other lantern for better light and then pulled the sopping wet shirt off his body before digging a towel out and drying off his hair. The two stowaways seamed to have followed him in and one had politely shut the door. Heero turned around to see just what it was that the cat had dragged in.

The taller of the two had slick black hair, pulled into a small tail at the base of his neck, and equally black eyes that were ever so slightly slanted. He was obviously a member of Lou Islands Dragon clan; the high cheekbones and other well-defined facial features were well known characteristics of the clan. He wore a blue sleeveless tunic that stuck to his skin with rainwater, and his white pants hung heavily from his hips. The other guest was slightly shorter. The long chestnut brown hair was plastered to his face and body. The dress he was wearing, though he was obviously male, was too large and slipped off one shoulder. His blue, almost purple, eyes looked feverish and his well-tanned skin was a little on the pale side. Both of them had slender yet well-muscled builds. The dragon clans muscle was obviously from martial arts training, the development of certain muscle groups told Heero this, the other was probably a pickpocket or thief of some kind though why he was wearing a dress had yet to be revealed.

"All right, give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw you overboard with the rest of them?" Heero said, sitting down in his desk chair.

"Because you already invited us to your room?" the brunet offered with a grin.

"I had no intention of disturbing you, it is mere happenstance that we ran onto your ship. I apologize for the intrusion." Said the Dragon

"Well spoken...?"

"Chang, Chang Wufei."

"Heero Yuy, and you are?"

"Duo Maxwell at your service!"

"So I see." Duo fidgeted with his dress nervously and gave Heero a sly grin. " What's seems to be your trouble?"

Duo, the brunet in the dress, and Wufei, the Dragon Clansmen, took their time telling Heero their story. Starting from Duos' capture in Edmar's cargo hold, to Wufei's entrance, and eventually to the part were they were forced onto the Heeros' ship. With their tale complete Heero took a minute to log all the information away in the back of his mind and then threw each of them a dry towel.

"I'm not sure as to how much of your story I believe is true but, as Duo is wearing a dress, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

"Mew?" Heero, who'd grown accustomed to Quatre's peculiar appearance, gave Wufei and Duo and odd look when the made faces at the little Guardian who had at some point during their story climbed out from under the bed and was now sitting on the table.

"Holly Crap! What is that?" Duo said, pointing at the little blond creature that was looking at him questioningly.

"This is Quatre." Heero said mater-o-factly as if it were painstakingly obvious.

"A Lunar Guardian? I didn't think they really existed." Wufei said in a disbelieving voice.

"Neither did I." Heero admitted truthfully

Duo slunk up to the table to get a closer look at the little Guardian, poking him in the shoulder as if he didn't believe the creature was real. Quatre grasped Duo's finger in his little padded hands and inspected it the way he'd done Heero's finger about a week earlier. Then, deciding it looked tasty, he gave it a chomp. Duo yelped loudly and ripped his finger away from the inquisitive blond and looked at Heero disbelievingly.

"He bit me!"

Heero lifted an eyebrow and gave a lighthearted snort. Wufei smirked, though; inside he was restraining the urge to laugh.

"What if I get rabies or something!" Duo said, dancing around while holding his bleeding finger.

"You would get rabies, I've been bitten before. It's no big deal, calm down." Heero commanded.

Duo stopped and slunk back to the wall, letting himself slide down to the floor. He ignored the rest of Heero and Wufei's conversation, catching only bits and pieces. Apparently Heero had offered them the floor and Wufei had accepted for the both of them, an act Duo wanted to protest as he hardly even knew Wufei but didn't because he would look stupid for later agreeing to sleep on the boat. He glanced back at Quatre who was lying on his stomach on the tabletop. His little chin propped up in his padded palms as he watched the two humans talk, something he appeared to find very interesting. Duo waved his hand to get the Guardians attention and then proceeded to make funny faces at him. Quatre laughed at a few of them before jumping down to the floor and placing himself in Duo's lap. The two silently started a contest to see who could make the funniest face. This went on for about an hour before Quatre started to doze off and Duo himself was starting to have to keep himself awake.

Eventualy all four of the people in Heeros' room went to bed. First Duo who curled up on the floor, using his towel as a pillow, followed by Quatre who curled up on the foot of Heeros' bed, Wufei fell asleep sitting up in desk chair, and lastly Heero lay down to sleep in his bed. The storm that had been raging outside had begun to wane so it was quieter now. Leaving all of them to their own dreams.

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::Note from the Author::

"_Thank you every one who has reviewed the first few chapters. I really appreciate it. _

_Go check out my profile for an illustration for this chapter. Hope you liked this_

_chapter as much as the others. Keep reading and keep reviewing."_

**!CLICK THE LITTLE PURPPLE BUTTON!**


	4. Chapter 4

Gundam Wing Fan Fiction by White Wings

AU Fan Fiction

Rated for language and violence

Disclaimer:

"_I refuse to write anything here concerning the fact that the names of the characters belong to someone else!_

_Its ridiculous, all the readers KNOW that already! Sheesh!"_

**Weather and Haul Wind**

_**Chapter 4**_

All signs of the storm had passed by morning, it had swept its course and vanished, leaving behind flooded streets, trashed harbors, and remnants of ships that were unlucky enough to be caught in its path. The Wing was not so lucky as to escape with no damage, but what little harm had been done was easily fixable. Heero quickly went about replacing the ropes that had snapped and worn out during the strong winds. He'd risen before the sun to check his precious ship, the rest of the Wing's occupants were still sleeping soundly where they'd fallen asleep the night before. Even Quatre, who usually got up with Heero, rolled over and went back to sleep this morning, leaving Heero by himself till about an hour after the sun peeked its head over the horizon.

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Wufei blinked his heavy eye lids open to the dim light of morning that was seeping through the window. He sat up on the edge of the chair and let the blanket, which had somehow wrapped itself around his shoulders during the night, fall into his lap. He rubbed his shoulder; he would have to remember not to sleep sitting in a chair again. His stomach rumbled and he glanced around the room, noticing that Heero wasn't among the other sleeping... persons. The little blond Guardian was tucked beneath a blanket at the foot of the rooms' only bed and Duo was fast asleep, curled up on the floor, still wearing the damp red dress that he'd been forced into. Wufei stood and crossed the room as quietly a he could manage, cracking the door open just enough to slip though, and then closing it easily behind him. He blinked at how much brighter it was outside of Heeros' room, it took his eyes a moment to adjust.

Wufei saw Heero practically hanging off the side of the highest yard by his feet, fiddling with the ropes that held the sail in place. The dark haired man's dexterity would never cease to amazing Wufei as Heero walked along a rope strung from the crow's-nest to the next yard where he began the process of checking the lanyards again. He wouldn't have thought someone who had obviously been accustomed to heavy labor would have the natural flexibility of an acrobat. He watched patiently as Heero went about his chores, mentally being impressed with the man. Wufei'd yet to see anyone else that could possibly be the crew of this ship besides Quatre, which meant that Heero sailed this rather large vessel all by himself.

Heero touched down on the deck of the Wing and noticed Wufei, who was leaning against the wall, and stared at him. The tall Dragon clansman nodded at the sailor and pushed himself away from the wall, meeting Heero half way.

"You sail this ship by yourself?"

"Mm." Heero murmured

"You don't have any other crew?"

"Nn." Again Heero murmured

There was silence between the two, neither one being particularly talkative. Wufei made the observation that Heero wasn't a morning person. He sighed.

"Where's the galley?" Wufei asked, receiving a questioning look from Heero.

"Why?" Heero replied, the first full word he'd spoken all morning.

"The least I can do is prepare a meal in thanks for your hospitality."

Heero nodded, seaming to understand. He motioned the Dragon clansman to follow and lead the way below deck to a large room equipped with a wood burning stove and a variety of other utensils. It was obvious that the Kitchen, or the large dinning area that it opened up into, had never been put to use. Everything within it was new, the tables and benches were decoratively hand carved, and even the cabinets had the look of careful attention. There was a pair of hatches that opened directly into the cargo hold from the kitchen so that the cook would have easy access to the foodstuffs stored there. A lot of planning had gone into the building and arrangement of the galley. Once again Wufei was silently impressed. He was itching to ask Heero where he'd acquired such a ship but held the inquiry back for modesty's sake, and the fact that the blue-eyed sailor had already left.

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Quatre rolled over sleepily and then made a short drop to land square on his nose. He'd fallen out of bed. Sitting up he rubbed the offended extremity with a pained "mew." He pouted at himself for a moment before spotting a still sleeping Duo curled up on the floor. He made his way over to his longhaired friend and then jumped on him. A startled cry escaped from the thin boy as he flinched sharply, curling into an even tighter ball as if he were expecting to be hit, or kicked. The little blond warbled out a questioning sound as he put his little hands on Duo's head softly. He hadn't been expecting such a response; Heero never reacted that way when he jumped on him!

The violet eyed thief eventually relaxed and sat up, shaking his head and blinking blindly in the dim light. Quatre laughed and latched onto the boys arm, giggling happily when his friend grasped where he was and whom he was with. Duo stood, Quatre dropping from his arm to the floor, and leaned against the wall for a little support, finding he felt a little dizzy. The little blond went to the door, reaching for the handle but found he was just a little to short for the task of opening it. He peeped at Duo expectantly as if asking him to open it for him.

On wobbly legs Duo eased himself to the door, telling Quatre to keep his pants on, knowing somewhere in the back of his foggy mind that the little beast didn't need to wear pants. He fumbled for the doorknob with one hand while holding his head with the other. Quatre wondered quietly on the floor, looking up at Duo with his big blue eyes full of confusion. His new friend was acting strange. Duo finally managed to find the latch and as he started to push it open it was pulled from the other side, dragging him and virtually throwing him into the chest of the one who'd opened the door from the outside. Quatre laughed when he saw Duo stumbling in to Heero and nearly dragging them both down to the polished wooden deck, he wanted to join the dog-pile too! He hopped around excitedly latching on to one of Heero's hands. The dark haired human wrapped his free hand around Duo's waist as the boy started to slide to the floor, his legs firmly braced on the floor for better balance.

"Hey!" Heero said in rather annoyed voice.

Heero raised the arm that Quatre was attached too and let the little creature latch onto his shoulders instead, needing the other hand as Duo started to sink further while mumbling something about not "feelin' 'o good." Quatre watched as Heero reach with his now free hand and hooked it under Duo's arm, pressing his forehead to Duos' and then swearing under his breath. Heero dragged Duo back into the room, Quatre warbling confused notes from his shoulder. Sitting Duo down on the corner of the bed Heero unlaced the dress that was still hanging damply from Duo's slim fame and pulled if off him while the longhaired thief complained weakly. Heero dug a clean shirt out of the drawers of the captains bed and slid it over Duo's head before pushing him over and then pulling the tick blankets up and tucking them around his shoulders. Duo tried to sit up and tell Heero that he was fine but the dark haired sailor would hear none of it, pushing the thief back down on the bed and placing a confused Quatre on top of the boys' chest.

"Stay... both of you." He commanded and turned to run into Wufei who was coming in.

"I've... hey!" Wufei protested a Heero rudely brushed him aside, shoving the damp dress into his hands before stomping off.

"What am I supposed to do with this!" Wufei hollered after him.

Heero paused for a moment and then looked over his shoulder and growled "Burn it." Before disappearing below deck once again, what a morning this was turning out to be.

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Heero returned to his room and lit the lanterns, flooding the room with more light than what was just seeping in from the door and window. In his hands he carried a small box and a mug of water. Wufei had disappeared to god knows where but Quatre was faithfully sitting on top of Duo where Heero had told him to stay. He gave the little Guardian a gentle pat on the head before turning his attention back to Duo. The longhaired thief was glaring up at the dark haired sailor with a look that told Heero he was not at all content with any of this business. Heero, of course, ignored the look and placed one of his hands on Duo's forehead, the other on his own. The fever was still high and Duo's skin was clammy, but despite that the young man still tried to protest.

"I'm fine, really. It's just a cold." Duo grumbled as Heero turned and rummaged though the small box he'd brought back with him.

"Yes, a cold that makes you incapable of standing, let alone walking." Heero said sharply, reminding Duo how he'd almost dragged them both to the floor earlier.

"Pish, I'd been worse." Duo snorted defiantly and turned away from Heero.

"I don't doubt that, here take this." Heero offered a small blue capsule and the mug of water to Duo, who glanced at it and then looked away in silent rebuff.

"I don' need no crappy meds. I'll be fine."

"Just take it. It will help the fever go down faster." Heero countered, quickly losing his cool composure, he forced the pill into Duo's hand.

Duo looked at the medication in his hand, sat up, and then threw it across the room. He crossed his arms and turned his fine-featured nose up, out right refusing to take it. Heero stood silently for a moment, fighting the urge to beat the boy, he didn't make a habit of helping ANYONE and Duo was just lucky that Heero had a weak spot for the incapacitated. He turned around and calmly reclaimed the blue pill from where it had landed near the desk and dusted it off. Crossing back to Duo's side of the room he offered it to Duo again, only to have his hand slapped away. The straw that broke the camels back, Quatre cringed and skitter to the foot of the bed, away from Heero's angry aura.

In one smooth motion Heero placed the pill on his own tongue, took a large gulp of water from the mug, and took hold of Duo's jaw firmly. Turning the reluctant thiefs' to face him, he then forced his lips to Duos. The young thief froze in shock and sat numbly as Heero squeezed the muscles under his jaw, forcing him to open his mouth, and then pushed the pill and the water down his throat with his tongue. The involuntary muscles in Duo's throat swallowed and Heero released the stunned boy. Wiping away the water that had escaped his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt, Heero placed the mug with the rest of the water gruffly in Duo's lap and ordered him to drink the rest then sleep before he stormed out of the room. His eyebrows knitted in annoyance he gave Duo a cruel glare over his shoulder before slamming the door so hard that the lanterns went out, leaving a dumbfounded Duo and a skittish Quatre in the semi-dark of the room alone.

Heero stormed out onto the deck and walked with a long, dramatic, mile eating, stride toward town before spotting Wufei coming towards him. The dark dragon hailed him as they neared each other.

"Where did you disappear to?" Heero asked, a blank look on his face, his temper calmed and his composure back in place.

"To burn the dress." Wufei offered as a man came up behind him and tapped the black-eyed man on the shoulder.

"Where's this all goin'?" The man asked

"There." Wufei pointed to Heero's Wing where it sat calmly swaying in the blue waves of the harbor.

"Right-o!" The man left, followed by two other men pulling handcarts loaded down with goods.

Heero gave the silent "what is going on?" look to Wufei as he crossed his arms over his chest. The corner of the dragons' mouth twitched in a momentary grin before he answered.

"I bought some supplies that the sip was in need of." Wufei said

"Supplies?"

"Yes, what you had stowed away wouldn't have lasted us a week on open sea. I thought it best I purchase more."

"Us..." Heero gave Wufei a steady look but said nothing more of it, he'd been planning to ask Wufei to join his crew anyway, and Duo wasn't in any condition to move. "Where did you get the coin to get the supplies, I have nothing that could even be bartered for that much food."

"I put it on Edmar's tab." Wufei smirked inwardly; he'd served his own justice to the pirate and knew that the dirty bastard deserved it.

Heero gave Wufei a curt nod and asked the black dragon if he would follow the supplies back to Wing. If Wufei were to be the cook he would proudly want to arrange the hold as he wished. That way the foodstuffs would be more easily at hand. With a sigh Heero sat down on one of the many random crates that littered the Larker Island harbor. He looked up and watched as a few lazy clouds floated aimlessly through the clear blue of the sky, perhaps they were remnants of the storm clouds from the night before, or maybe they were simply passing by on a different wind. Heero felt calm looking at them. He reflected back on earlier, how annoyed he'd been at Duo. He had never been very good a dealing with people and he knew that he'd been wrong to force him to take the medicine, but if he hadn't then he would have felt worse for the sake of having done nothing.

A soft mew attracted his attention away from the sky, a first he'd thought that Quatre had come off the ship and was about ready to panic but then notice that the bright golden eyes that were looking at him from the stone belonged to a pair of black kittens. They seamed to find Heero's pant leg amusing and were batting at the loose fabric playfully. One latched onto Heero's booted foot and hung off it for a minute before dropping back to the ground on top of its sibling. The little black duo couldn't have been more then a few months old, there bodies were lanky with new growth but they still had the slightly over-sized head and paws that said they had yet to grow to their full size. Heero picked up one in each hand, with a closer look he noticed that on had a small white spot on his chin as if he'd been lapping at milk, the other had a white ring around his right eye. They weren't identical but they were very close. He placed them back on the stone floor of the harbor gently and got up, walking back to Wing. The two kittens followed.

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The kittens followed Heero all the way back onto Wing and snuck into his cabin when he peeked around the door to make sure Duo was sleeping. He was, and quite fitfully, so the sudden pressure of two extra bodies hopping onto the bed didn't even cause him to stir. Quatre however jumped in surprise, he'd never seen cats before, he'd smelled them come in but even with his acute eyesight he'd been unable to make them out from the shadows in the room. The little back pair was equally confused by Quatres presence, never having encountered such a creature in all of their short lives. The trio inspected each other cautiously at first, sniffing noses and twitching ears went full throttle in the three-way investigation. Eventually each cat and the single Guardian came to the conclusion that the other was not a threat of any kind; in fact, they were better suited to be playmates then enemies. And so Quatre made two new friends and played happily with them on the floor for the better part of the afternoon.

Heero had gone down to the Galley to eat the now cold meal that Wufei had so graciously made, Wufei was in the cargo hold putting the last touches on the re-stocking of the supplies, and Duo was sleeping while Quatre an the kittens played together in the darkness of the sheltered room. All of this peacefulness was interrupted by the angry shouting of a mob of hug-over, battered and bruised, privateers that had collected on the dock that Wing was tied to.

Heero was on deck in an instant, closely followed by Wufei, and grabbed at the hilt of a sword that wasn't at his hip when he caught sight of just what was making suck a ruckus. Closely behind him he heard a sharp intake of breath that told him that his dark haired companion was equally shocked but the sight.

"Chang Wufei!" a loud angry voice rose above that of the mobs "Come out!"

The caller, on tall angry looking man with a heavy, well-muscled build and a full beard with thick curry hair that hung to his shoulders in a tangle of random curls. His eyes dark eyes glared up to Heero's blue ones with vicious intent. His cruel eyes flickered and caught a glimpse of Wufei, who was standing at Heero's shoulder, and his face twisted in a disturbing grin.

"There ya are, I believe ya got somthin' of min' 'here boy."

Heero glanced at Wufei who shook his head in a definite "no" before responding turning his gaze back to the curly haired man.

"I believe you're wrong, sir. No be on your way. You're obstructing my work." He said coolly, giving his words an accompanying icy glare.

The pirate captain took a daunting step forward and the look on his face gave Heero a knot in the pit of his stomach, he didn't mean an actual "thing," he meant Duo. Over his shoulder he whispered for Wufei to get the sword and dagger pair from his cabin, the dragon wasted no time in complying with the urgent request. Edmar was on the deck of Wing now, his crew crowding the portside plank. He stood very near chest to chest with the much smaller Heero by the time Wufei emerged from the Wing's captains quarters with the requested weaponry. The small messy haired sailor stood his ground bravely, or stupidly, and glared up at Edmar defiantly. He repeated his order for the man to leave but was not heeded.

"You got somthin' o min' boy, an' ya best be givin' it back."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

" Tch, 'ike hel' ya don't! I'm guna ask ya once more and then..."

"And then what you illiterate pervert? I'll remind you, you're on my ship not yours."

Obviously that was the end of "mister nice guy" Edmar. He drew is blade just as Wufei threw Heeros to him and the clashing of steel reverberated off all the sails and stone walls in Larker's harbor. It was the signal of start of a brawl of more than fifty against two on the deck of Heero's Wing.

Wufei, as a member of the Dragon Clan, was trained in all sorts of combat including hand-to-hand and swordsman ship but he also has some marginal skill with mage-fire. He quickly disarmed on of the pirates who'd swarmed onto the deck and armed himself with the man's sword. Heero was eventually thrown into other short duels with pirates who invaded his ship and lost site of Edmar. A startled cry attracted the attention of the cook and captain as a group of pirates fumbled out of Heero's cabin, scurrying away as if they'd seen a monster. A quick glance at each other conformed it. Quatre had done his own part in the battle, keeping anyone who thought to check the captain cabin at bay. Somewhere in-between the mêlée and his own inward battle over his own fears Heero lost track of how many pirates he'd driven off or killed. He had thought to look for Edmar but couldn't afford to be distracted.

"HEERO!"

The blue-eyed sailor turned at the sound of his name and found it was Wufei, reaching out as if trying to push him out of the way from across the deck where he'd finished off most of the other pirates. The sharp and sudden pain in his shoulder sent Heero reeling over backwards, the sick smell of gunpowder and flint thick on the air. He hissed through clinched teeth as he hit the deck, grabbing at the bullet torn shoulder. Edmar was right on top of him then, the tip on his sword thrusting itself downward but only meeting the thick hardwood of the well-polished deck. After rolling out of the way of immediate danger Heero kicked upward, catching the larger man in the stomach and then launching him over the railing into the cold seawater below. Pushing himself up onto his feet his raced across the deck, ignoring Wufei's confused query as to his condition, and lopped the rope that held Wing to the dock off at the base of the knot. The elegantly crafted ship immediately started to drift out with the tide and the gangplank that lead to the dock creaked and then slipped off and fell with a splash into the blue ocean waters as Heero went about unfurling the sailed with one hand.

It wasn't until they were out of port and Heero had locked down the rudder to keep them on course. He sank down to against the wheel and let out an exasperated sigh. The blood from the bullet wound in his shoulder had stained his once white shirt red and now that the adrenalin had worn off he was starting to feel it. Wufei, who had wisely been staying out of the way, can over and helped him to his feet. Half carrying, half dragging Heero below deck to tend to his injury before he lost any more blood, a thought ran through Heero's mind as they descended the stairs.

"Where exactly did you burn that dress Wufei?"

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::Note from the Author::

"_Thank you every one who has reviewed the first few chapters. I really appreciate it. _

_Hope you liked this chapter as much as the others. Keep reading and keep reviewing."_

**!CLICK THE LITTLE PURPPLE BUTTON!**


	5. Chapter 5

Gundam Wing Fan Fiction by White Wings

AU Fan Fiction

Rated for language and violence

Disclaimer:

"_I refuse to write anything here concerning the fact that the names of the characters belong to someone else!_

_Its ridiculous, all the readers KNOW that already! Sheesh!"_

**Weather and Haul Wind**

_**Chapter 5**_

Heero hissed though clenched teeth as Wufei pulled the bandages on his shoulder tight. The dragon had removed the iron ball that had lodged itself in his arm with the careful precision of a surgeon. If it hadn't been for Wufei's insistent hounding Heero, still a bit dizzy from the blood loss, would have gone back to the wheel instead of sitting in the galley while the cook shoved food at him. But after two hours below deck Heero had to check that they were still on course and excused himself firmly from the black-eyed man's presence. They were still on course; he knew it the moment he stepped out on deck, but what made his full stomach knot was the carnage that littered Wing's deck. Here and there lay dead men, bleeding out onto the well polished wood, it would take a long time to get the stains out of it and Heero sighed in frustration. He hollered down to Wufei for assistance knowing that he'd never be able to accomplish the clean up without some help.

Wufei and Heero picked their way across the deck, stopping at each body to search it for valuables. They confiscated swords, jewelry, coins, and even the occasional pair of boots or hat. It was Wufei's idea to seize as much as they could from the pirates as payment for messing up the ship but Heero would much rather have just thrown the whole kitten-caboodle overboard. After they'd disposed of the bodies, giving them all an un-ceremonial burial at sea, Heero drew up some seawater and washed it over the deck. Wufei took up a long-handled brush and set about scouring the stains that weren't cleansed away with the initial soaking. By the time they'd finished the sun was starting to set and they were both exhausted. Mustering the last of his strength Heero furled the sails and dropped the anchor while Wufei went once again to the galley to prepare a meal.

Heero took the chance to slip back into his room, removing the blood-stained shirt from his back he tossed it moodily into a corner. There was no way to salvage it so he would tear it into strips and use it for bandages or the repairing of other clothing later. He was about to remove his blood and sweat soaked pants and let them follow the shirt when someone made a muffled yelp. He turned to find Duo's violet eyes staring at him through the darkness. He groaned, having completely forgotten that the thief was sleeping in his bed. Heero re-buttoned his pants and lit at lamp. Quatre garbled out a welcoming series of chips and mew before jumping off his perch at the edge of the bed to inspect the shirt that Heero had discarded.

"What happened to you?" Duo questioned groggily, still partially asleep, as he looked Heero up and down.

"Nothing." Heero replied coolly, noting that the longhaired boy had obviously slept though the ruckus caused by the battle earlier that day.

"You look like hell... holy shit, did you get shot?" Duo sat up, causing two fluffy black balls to tumble off his chest into his lap. He yelped and almost fell out of the bed as two sets of fuzzy black ears perked and the young cats they belonged to yawed and stretched.

Giving the kittens a quick glance Heero recognized them at the two that he'd meet on the dock before they left Larker, He wondered how it was that they had snuck past him to get onboard but shrugged it off before picking them both up by the scruff of the neck.

"Troublemakers." He murmured half-heartedly under his breath before setting them on the floor. The kittens mewed playfully before making their way over to where Quatre was still examining Heero shirt and instigated an impromptu wrestling match with the little Guardian.

Heero turned and dug a two pairs of clean pants out of the drawers and tossed one set to Duo. He stripped his off and replaced them with the clean pair before dawning a clean shirt as well. When he turned back around he found that Duo had done much the same and was standing next to the bed looking every bit as pitiful as Heero was sure he felt. The shirt that Heero had given him after removing the dress was about three sizes to large of Duo's slim form and it made him look even smaller. Heero tossed him a belt, one of the many accessories he'd "acquired" from the pirates. Duo wrapped it around his middle and cinched it tightly at his waist before giving Heero a broad grin.

"Come on." Heero motioned that Duo should follow him before he wrapped his uninjured arm around Quatre's middle and carried him out the door.

Leading the way down to the galley Heero was followed by Duo and the two kittens who obviously thought that they had every right to go wherever they pleased, they were cats after all. Wufei had already set places for four when they arrived, he hadn't forgotten about Duo or Quatre. Everyone ate hungrily that night; filling their stomachs with whatever they could reach and after the galley was clean and all the supplies stored safely away Heero showed Wufie and Duo the crews' quarters. On the same level as the galley, each of the rooms housed three bunk beds and ample storage space in the form of shelves and drawers that were built into the wall. Each bunk was as carefully crafted as the rest of the ship; hand carved with intricate, almost un-noticeable, designs that gave the room a little more character. Duo clamed one of the top bunks while Wufie chose one on of the lower ones; the kittens curled themselves up on the bottom bunk of the bed Duo had chosen, while Quatre followed Heero back to his room. All of the Wing's crew slept fitfully and two weeks after their departure from Larker Island the island of Rednege finally came into view.

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A lot had changed in two weeks. Duo had finally gotten his unruly long hair tamed and now wore it braded in thick plat that hung down to his hips. He still wore the oversized shirt that Heero had given him, as he had no cloths of his own, and from the many various accessories that the pirates had "left behind" he pieced together an outfit that he liked. Lots of dangly, shiny, things and pockets in which he kept trinkets and tools adorned his clothing. He had proclaimed himself the watchman and when he wasn't in the galley or sleeping he was in the crows nest. He was nimble, even more so than Heero, so when the time came to furl the sails for the night he could quickly scurry along the yards and secure the lanyards while Heero dropped the anchor.

Wufei had proven to be more than just an excellent cook; he also had some comprehension of navigation and even some medical knowledge to add to his skill in magic casting and sword proficiency. This left Heero open to looking after the ship from time to time. He could check for leaks, repair damages, and mend sails as well as other various choruses that were well suited for the young shipwright.

The kittens popped up everywhere. In the kitchen, in the hold, in the crows nest, and even in the crew beds! They were curious, as was normal for cats their age. The made a habit of catching and kittling mice and rats that had snuck their way into the cargo hold, they often left the vermin's carcasses neatly lined up on the bed that they had clamed as if they were trophies. Duo had named them eventually. The one with the got milk chin was Shin and the other with the white ring around his right eye was Scythe.

Quatre, however, was the one who changed the most during the two weeks at sea. Shortly after they'd left Larker Quatre had finally found a use for the feathery white wings that grew from his back and fluttered about here and there as he helped the others with their tasks. Somewhere along the way he had also learned that he could morph his dolphin like tail into a pair of legs and spent, whatever time he didn't spend flying, learning to walk. He was now at a height of about three feet and if his arms weren't furry and striped or he had no wings on his back he would have looked just like a normal ten year old, a ten year old that was just learning to talk. He was beginning to string sentences together and called Heero, Duo, Wufei, and even Shin and Scythe by name; though most of his speech was still mews and chirps it was an improvement.

When they arrived in Redenge's large harbor Heero paid the docking fee with the coins he'd found in the pockets of Edmar's pirates instead of the precious little money he had of his own. Returning to Wing he pulled a confused Quatre into his quarters and pulled a long tunic over the Guardians' head. He wrapped a wide, brightly colored, cloth belt around his middle and then wound bandages around his arms. Stepping back to take a look at his work as Quatre pulled at the shirt, he was a little uncomfortable as he was used to going about unclothed. Heero had come to the scholars' island to find out more about the Guardians but that didn't mean he was going parade Quatre around like a prize, he wouldn't have people staring at the little on and making him nervous. He instructed Quatre that there was to be NO flying while they were at port and got a sheepish nod from the little blond.

Back on deck, with Quatres' small paw-like hand clenched in his own, Heero met Wufei and Duo. The thief, flamboyantly dressed in his "normal" attire, gave the captain a mock salute and grinning at him broadly. He'd tied down the sails and thrown lines to the dock, securing the Wing's position to the small inlet of wooden harbor where they had docked. Wufei wore his blue sleeveless tunic and a pair of Heero's black pants; as his white ones were covered in bloodstains that refused to come out no mater how furiously they were scrubbed. He'd also dawned some of the less flamboyant jewelry that was left over after Duo raided the pile. What was left of the things they'd taken from the pirates, excluding a few pairs of boots and some of the swords, were organized in a crate that the dragon had already taken down to the dock. He'd sell what he could and bargain with what he couldn't so that he might restock the food stores and if he was luck, has some extra money to buy himself a little something.

Heero had given the wooden figures he'd carved to Duo asking the boy to sell them for the highest price he could. He knew that Duo could make money a lot of other ways but he would rather not have the guards arrest him because the braided young man had decided to pick a few pockets. Heero, with Quatre in toe was going into town to see if he could locate the author of his myth and monster encyclopedia, that person was the most likely to have the information he wanted or, if he didn't, he might know someone who did.

Shin and Scythe and made themselves at home, curling up on either side of the ramp that led down off the ship to the dock, they swatted at the crews feet as they past the mischievous little balls of fur. Duo laughed, announcing that they were going to guard the ship while the rest of the crew was away in a sarcastic voice. Quatre giggled and waved "bye-bye" to the kittens as he let Heero lead him into town.

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Rednenge was loud and busy. The buildings near the port smelled strongly of the sea and there were fish market stales lining both sides of the wide cobblestone streets. People crowded around as sellers yelled out about their wares. As Quatre and Heero walked further along the main road that wound through the city it became less packed with people shopping for food and more people looking for facts. They entered the large square at the center of the city, enclosed on all four sides by extravagant whitewashed shops that held items pertaining to knowledge. Books, maps, paper, and quills: anything for the people whose lives revolved around the intellectual questions that drove the scholars to ask them.

The center of the square was a tree-filled park. In its center stood a huge oak that, into its massive trunk, was carved the four cardinal beast of knowledge. The Owl, the Wolf, the Turtle, and the Stag: Learning, Common Sense, Patience, and Knowledge. It was an impressive site to Quatre, and even to Heero had never seen anything as grand as that tree. Heero had to pull himself away from starring at it and to the large bookstore that he'd noticed. The sound of a bell tinkled as they entered and the keeper looked up from his own worn book to give them a suspicious look. Heero let go of Quatres hand, kneeling down he told the inquisitive little blond he could LOOK but not touch before letting go to look at the shelves upon shelves of books. The blue-eyed shipwright then turned to the bookkeeper and pulled his book of myths and set it on the counter. The shopkeepers' eyes widened at the site of it.

"Where did you get this?" He asked breathlessly as he picked up the old text delicately.

"It was given to me by a friend of my fathers." Heero said

"This is a very rare book, only ten copies of it were ever scribed! I don't suppose you'd be willing to sell it?"

"No." Heero answered immediately, not even pausing to think.

"I see... what is it I can do for you sir." The keep said, looking more than just a little disappointed.

"I'm looking for the author of this book."

"The author? Master Bloom, I'm afraid he pass away some time ago."

"I see."

" His daughter still lives here though, she may be able to tell you something." The shopkeeper said quickly, sensing Heero's distress.

The shopkeeper, Howard was his name, drew a simple map and gave Heero directions to the Bloom family villa. Taking Quatres paw in hand once again Heero left the shop with a quick wave of thanks and headed out onto the streets again. The buildings on either side of the cobblestone street slowly faded for stores and restaurants to privet homes. The schools were apparently in a different district along with the game reserve and other facilities that took up a lot of space. The house that supposedly belonged to the Bloom family was huge. The rot iron gates and matching fence that surrounded the property closed in a long gravel drive to the front door that was enclosed on both sides by a lush flowering hedge and large fruit trees of various origin and age. The deep green lawn was wide and expanded around to the side and back behind the house. A fountain dripped water in a calming quiet way from its place nestled in the center of a diversely colored flowerbed. The large white and blue Victorian style house was easily big enough to house over twenty rooms. The gate was open invitingly but Heero and Quatre were still wary and walked up the drive slowly to the door where, when he caught site of the shiny brash door-knocker, Quatre reached up and grabbed hold of it.

The sound of a ringing bell echoed from inside the house and both of the visitors jumped in alarm. Quatre yelped shrilly and, latching onto Heero's leg, hid behind the man as if doing so would protect him from whatever made the sudden noise. The door opened to find Heero kneeling down trying to get a terrified little Guardian to calm down.

"Oh dear, did the doorbell scare him?"

Quatre hiccupped a sob as Heero turned to see a talk woman with curly brown hair that shimmered with deep red highlights in the sunlight that poured though the open door. Heero stood stiffly as a large man in a neat black suit gently pushed his way in front of the woman and glared at Heero.

"Ms. Cathy, how many times have I told you not to answer the door. Who are you, what do you want?"

"I..." Heero started before he was cut off

"Another brat claming to be Mr. Blooms bastard son? Is that it?" The man said and Heero gave him as sharp glare, angry at the accusation.

"CARL!" The woman, Ms. Cathy, said indigently. Stopping the raging butler in mid sentence. "I'm sorry, what were you going to say?" she asked sweetly, brushing the large man off as she pushed her way in front of him again.

"I came to ask about this book.' Heero held said book out to her. 'Is there any way that I might be able to get some more information of one of the monsters he listed there."

"Monsters? Oh the Myth Encyclopedia! There might be something in his study but it would probably quicker just to ask my little brother." She offered

"Brother?" Quatre mewed quietly from behind Heero.

"That's right.' She gave the little blond a sweet smile. 'He's probably as the Prism Sanctuary; it's the magical creature haven that's here on the island. He goes there to help the grounds keeper a lot."

"Which way is it from here?" Heero asked

"Head strait east from the gate and when you get to the bridge you should be able to see it."

"Thankyou." Heero gave her a respectful nod and was half way down the drive before he turned and hollered at Quatre to "come along."

The little blond looked at Heero and with a wide grin he told the nice lady "Bye-bye" before running to catch up with Heero. Once again, hopeful for the last time, the set off down the road. Quatres legs, as he was still new to them, were beginning to get tired so Heero let the young Guardian ride on his shoulder. When they reached the bridge Quatre looked up and over the tops of the trees saw the top of a huge glass dome. The close they got the grander site it was. Everything in this city seamed to be built to impress.

The Prism Sanctuary was actually a collection on five different buildings. The four buildings on the outer ring were large brick compound with huge windows and vines that grew up the sides. The ceilings had skylights as well as an array of light spells to keep each building properly lit. The building in the southwest was the "reptile house" and housed a variety of reptilian creatures from small geckos to the komodos form the Far East. The southeast was the "carnivore house" in which large predators like lions, wolves, and even badgers. The northeast building was the "aquarium," within its walls it held anything from minnows and frogs to sharks and sea cows. It however wasn't large enough to house any Whales or Orcas but it did have a matched pair of dolphins that Quatre was quite fascinated with. The northwest building was the home of the birds such as hawks, sparrows, eagles and larks and large herbivores like deer and elk, and it even housed a giraffe. All of the buildings were filled with mesmerizing creatures and both Heero and Quatre could have easily spent more than just a few hours walking though them but they had to find Ms. Cathy's brother and he was in the center building. The Prism Dome, the home of the largest collection of magical creature in the known world.

Its large, half-sphere shape was entirely made of thick glass panels and was the largest building in the compound. Heero pushed the door open carefully, almost afraid that if he opened it to quickly it would break. Inside the doors of the Prism Dome it was like walking into a completely different world. Just by glancing around Heero realized that there were hundreds of creatures here. The less dangerous creatures like Sprites and Twin-tailed Cats roamed around freely while Harpies and Chimeras lived within huge, transparently walled, pens. Quatre went from on pen to another looking in at the occupants with avid excitement. He was so enwrapped he ran right into the leg of one of the free-range creatures. Heero looked up from the Naga he was studying when he heard Quatre peep loudly. The little Guardian had run right into the leg of an Udmar.

Udmar, huge creatures with a scaled rump, camel-like hind feet, lion-line front feet, and a horse-like prehensile tail, were majestic creatures known for their elegant beauty, long eyelashes, and short tempers. Thankfully this one did nothing but lower its elegant head and sniff the top of Quatres head. It made a whickering sound before moving, leaving Quatre frozen in place.

Quatre whimpered pathetically, apparently the encounter had scared him a little more that Heero'd thought. He sighed and walked over to the little blond reaching to pick him up off the ground but another pair of hands got to the Guardian first. Heero stood and looked at the man who'd put Quatre on his feet. He was tall, slim, but not lanky. His hair, a dull dirt brown fell in his face, or at least half of it. His green eyes turned to meat Heero's with the same placid expressionless mask that the blue-eyed sailor wore most of the time.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

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::Note from the Author::

"_Thank you every one who has reviewed so far. I really appreciate it. _

_Hope you liked this chapter as much as the others. Keep reading and keep reviewing."_

**!CLICK THE LITTLE PURPPLE BUTTON!**

Answer to an anonymous question: _Why did I not list this FF as non-yaoi in my summary_?

The reason is because **One**: I ran out of space, we are limited in the number of characters we can use when writing the summary. **Two**: most of the people who read fan fiction these days read it because most of it IS yaoi. Sadly, that means that those of us who write stories with little or no explicit content don't get out stories read and/or are completely ignored. I know that someone along the way will probably be mad that I didn't just come right out and tell them BUT it is my hope that because they liked the part of the story that they had already read, even though it isn't the genre that they usually read, they will continue to look forward to new chapters despite that fact. ... I hope...


	6. Chapter 6

Gundam Wing Fan Fiction by White Wings

AU Fan Fiction

Rated for language and violence

**_Disclaimer:_**

_"I refuse to write anything here concerning the fact that the names of the characters belong to someone else!_

_Its ridiculous, all the readers KNOW that already! Sheesh!"_

**Weather and Haul Wind**

Chapter 6

Quatre looked on as Heero and the stranger stared at each other. The taller man's brown hair was cropped short, all except for his bangs which hung down to his chin. He'd brushed then to one side so as not to hide his face completely behind the vial of silky hair. His brilliant green eyes were calm and at the same time overwhelmingly powerful. His quiet demeanor would have put most people off into a nervous silence, they may have shifted uneasily under his steady gaze, and might have even slinked away instead of asking the question they'd had; but Quatre and Heero could fell the understanding aura that pulsed from this green-eyed man. Heero was very much the same: quiet, often unnerving, with a steady gaze that almost forced respectful silence. But the silence quickly became boring for the little guardian. He reached up and pulled gently at Heero tunic which seamed to snap the young sailor out of his trance.

"I was told by the Lady of the Bloom house that I could find her brother here. I have some questions pertaining to the Myth and Monster Encyclopedia. Do you know where he is?"

The tall mans eyes dulled at the question and then nodded.

"I am he, how can I help."

Heero wasn't terribly surprised; he'd had a feeling that this man was the one he was looking for.

"The entry on Lunar Guardians was a bit vague; do you know anything else about them?" Heero asked with an almost hopeful tone

"What do you mean?"

"Their growth cycle, eating habits, language, natural habitat; I need to know those sort of things."

"I don't. Lunar Guardians are one of the myths." The green-eyed man said with a slight shrug.

"I beg to differ." A much older and grainy voice said, causing both the young men to turn.

"Doctor S?"

This newcomer was an older gentleman; he was thin with white hair that stuck striate up. His nose was an artificial patch, the aftermath of an unlucky encounter some angry creature no doubt. The man approached them shaking his head.

"Young man your question was of Lunar Guardians correct?"

Heero nodded and gave the man a slightly suspicious look.

"The Lunar Guardians are grand creatures to be sure but not much is known about them. To be honest very few people have ever clamed to have seen one. If you've read the Myth and Monster Encyclopedia then it is very possible that what is written within its pages is all that is known about them but they are not myths, they are very real."

"I know that. I hail from Lunar Port."

"Ah! Then why come here to ask questions?"

"Because the elders no nothing more than what was written."

"I see, I am afraid we can not help you. Now if you'll excuse me."

The older man left without another word, walking off down the lined path, occasionally stopping to pet a creature of nod hello before disappearing altogether. Heero waited in silence but the green eyed man said nothing for a very long time, only starring with his eerie green eyes.

"Why do you want to know?" He finally asked

Heero looked at him with a placid grin, taking a long pause before answering him.

"It's better not to talk about it here." Quatre made a quiet mew of agreement. "Come down to the harbor tonight, my ship is docked there..." Heero glanced up though the glass dome ceiling "... and I must be going now."

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By the time they wound their way back down the maze of streets to the harbor the lanterns along each road had been lit. Duo and Wufei had returned long before them. The eccentric thief had managed to sell off a good portion of the carvings he'd been charged with, he was quite pleased with himself and to reward his good work Heero gave him some of the profit. Duo was happily surprised and accepted the coins with unbridled glee, a grin spreading for one ear to the other. Scythe decide, from his perch next to his brother on the galley table, that the shiny object that Duo'd received needed to be liberated and in one clean motion he leapt from the table, snacked a coin from the tall brunet, and sprinted off out the galley door and down the hall. The was a moment of shocked silence before Duo went chasseing after the kitten yelling all manner of curses and the like that only added more of a comedic element to the situation for the rest of the crew. Heero smiled quietly and Wufei laughed out loud from the kitchen where he was cooking. Even Shin seemed to be laughing through his bight golden eyes. Quatre was the only one who seemed to be out of the loop, he cocked his head to the side in innocent confusion, not understanding the situation in the situation by trying his hardest to put one tiny clawed finger on it.

Duo rejoined the rest of the Wings crew a few moments later, a few new scratches and scraps standing out an angry red against his well tanned skin. He shrugged and proclaimed the battle lost as Scythe trotted in behind him, coin still in his mouth. The crew all set down to the meal that Wufei had prepared for them. As usual it was delicious, and the conversation was brought to a halt until the last of the plates had been scraped and licked clean. There was a bowl of oranges in the middle of the table, curtsey of the cook, and so while each person shared what new they'd heard in town, what rumors were going around and so forth Heero peeled himself one. He handed a slice to Quatre, who had changed back to his original from and discarded the cloths as soon as they were below deck, and noted how happily the creature nibbled on it slowly as to make it last longer. There were a rare few wild orange trees on Lunar Port and the surrounding islands and most of those were harvested to sell to sailors and merchants as they were a precious commodity. It would follow that there would be very few left over for the wild animals to dine on. It was like giving candy or a glass of clean water to a child from a third world county the not nearly so desperate.

The crew talked until the ears of both kittens sprang up and swiveled toward the door. Heero, Wufei, and Duo immediately dropped into defensive positions and Quatre took cover behind the table. It may have been nothing, they may have been overreacting; but it was better that they reacted, they could feel stupid for spooking at nothing then if they didn't and ended up dead because of carelessness. A shadow stretched into the view of the door and the crew tensed for a moment before the kittens started purring loudly. A tall figure stepped into the light; it was Lady Bloom's brother. Heero relaxed immediately, letting his hand slide away from hilt his sword. Wufei and Duo followed his example.

"I apologize for startling you but no one answered when I called."

"It is no trouble, you were invited." Heero said gesturing that the green eyed man could enter and sit. "Sit..."

"I don't have a name but if you wish to call me something then it is Trowa, Trowa Barton." Trowa said as he took a seat on the bench next to Wufei.

"Heero Yuy, and my crew..." He waved an open hand in the direction of each crew member as he introduced them. "My cook and navigator Chang Wufei, Duo Maxwell is our watchman and accountant, and you already know Quatre."

Wufei nodded his hello to the scholar curtly, while Duo waved enthusiastically from his end of the table. Quatre, who had already met Trowa once today peeped a happy hello from his reclaimed spot next to Heero on the bench. Trowa nodded in acknowledgment to all of them but nearly fell from the bench when he got a good look at the little blue eyed blond. He stood suddenly and leaned across the table to get a closer look. Quatre fluttered to eye level with the much taller human and peered back playfully. He warbled a few incoherent words and then said "Trowa!" The little Guardian reached out and put a little clawed hand on either side of the mans face pulled his cheeks into a smile, an annoying habit he'd pick up from Duo that he did whenever he saw someone with a peculiar look on their face.

"A...a...a..." Trowa sputtered for a moment before collecting his thoughts enough to make a complete sentence. "A Lunar Guardian, here?"

"I brought him with me from Lunar Port. Quatre is the reason I came to Rednege."

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Over the course of a few hours Heero told Trowa of all his finding as they pertained to Quatre the group slowly dwindled down to Heero, the captain, Wufei the cook, and himself. Duo, the lanky, long haired, watchman, slinked off to bed claming he was tired and existed after a long day of selling figurines. Quatre got bored quickly and went off to play with the kittens, who'd introduced themselves via rubbing against Trowa legs while purring loudly. They were curious creatures in themselves, those kittens. The jet black color of their fur shimmered healthy in the lamp light of the ships Galley. One had a perfect white circle around his left eye and the other a small triangle of white on his chin. But the eyes, yes the eyes were what was unnerving. They shone with a human intelligence that animals weren't supposed to have but they showed no sign of being anything more or less then two playful kittens.

While he spoke at length with Heero and Wufei about Quatres habits, likes, dislikes, growth pattern, learning curve, and diet he watched the little one play with the kittens on the opposite side of the room. For all his three and a half feet in height most of it was his tail, long and elegant and so much like that of a Dolphin that it was almost as odd seeing it attached to the creatures torso as it was to see the Lunar Guardian at all. His arms were covered with short, soft fur that resembled that of a tigers and where his limbs were obviously more human-like then animal the retractable claws at the ends of each delicate finger were not just for show. The wings that grew from his back were functional and he used them but it was obvious that they would have to be much larger to carry something any bigger than the size Quatre was now. The wings would probably grow at a much faster rate then the rest of this body, Trowa made a note of this. What puzzled him most was the fact that despite the bright, almost flamboyant, markings and light colored hair didn't obstruct the Guardians ability to camouflage its self. If he understood Heero correctly Lunar Port was a simi-tropical island. The only thing he could think of was that maybe Lunar Guardians, later in their lives, leaned to morph the rest of their body to look completely human like what Quatre could already do with his legs.

"Trowa?"

"Hm." He had to pull himself back to the conversation.

"Its getting late, do you wish to continue tomorrow?"

Trowa was silent for a moment his mind wandering back to Quatre before he shook himself free again felt his lips move before he new what he was saying.

"I have a request."

"Hm? Heero questioned, Wufei echoed his captain.

"Let me come with you." He asked, again his mouth was moving and forming words without his consent.

"What?" Wufei barked a little louder then he'd planed while Heero raised an eyebrow in query.

"Let me come with you, please."

"What about the Doctor S. and the animals?" Heero questioned

"He has many other apprentices, he will not miss me."

"And your sister?"

"She's not legally aloud to recognize me as such much less see me." Trowa said, his eyes falling a bit showing his own sorrow for the situation. He loved his sister more than anyone else. But there was no way to prove they were siblings and that old butler was a constant cause of worry. It had been he who made legal action against him, banishing him from the house, his father's library, and his only known family, Cathy.

Heero nodded as if he understood and perhaps he did, he was a mystery. Despite all that was divulged of his place of birth he'd made an effort without seeming to, and left out anything that could have told anything about his past before leaving Lunar Port with Quatre.

"Then I see nothing wrong with it." Heero said "We leave the day after tomorrow. Bring your effects by tomorrow evening."

Trowa nodded, the conversation ended there for the night. They said their goodbyes; Quatre even pulled himself away from his game of tag with the kittens to give Trowa a warm smile and a well-spoken "Goodnight." Trowa walked up the dark winding streets of Rednege lost in thought, his feet moving by memory, he looked up and found himself at the front gates of the Bloom Manor. His mind told him he should just go but his heart said that he should at least say goodbye. He had to agree.

Trowa made the familiar sequence of movements that ended with him nimbly throwing himself over the high bars of the front gates. He knew better then to use the front door and so made his way to the trellis on the side of the house. A whimper brought his attention to the shadows of one of the many trees on the property and he could the Heldel-Wolf, Rish, looking out at him sadly.

"Rish, what are you doing?"

Trowa approached him slowly. Heldel-Wolfs were huge creatures the size of a small pony and my comparison to the timber wolves of the main land, they were vastly more inelegant. Rish had been Dr. Bloom's constant companion and when he passed away he'd taken to protecting Cathy but Trowa was always a welcome site to the big creature. All manner of animals seemed to love the young man. It was because of Rish that Trowa could sneak onto the property to see his beloved sister. Normally Rish was inside by this time of night, he insisted on sleeping on the foot of Cathys' bed. When Trowa got close enough he realized the Rish was chained to the tree. The Heldel-Wolf strained against the short chain and whined.

"Hold on." Trowa said quietly. He reached around behind Rish's scruff and undid the painstakingly difficult metal clasp that held his thick leather collar around his neck. Rish made an immediate rush for the back door that was always open for him but found it locked. He reared on his hind legs and scratched at the doors with the thick black nails, pulling ribbons of the dark wood off with each swipe of his huge paws. Something was not right. Rish changed tactics to throwing his huge heavy body against the door growling deep in his throat with a sound that Trowa had only ever heard once and he knew that something was very wrong. He added own weight to the ramming of the door. The splintering of wood around the dead-bolt locks was a rewarding sound and he looked at Rish and growled in a almost feral tone as he readied for another ram. "Again!"

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Duo sat bolt upright in bed, thankful for the high ceilings in the crew quarters, and looked around the room in confusion not knowing what it was that had awakened him. He looked down to see that Wufei too was sitting up and looking around with obvious bewilderment. A screech of terror threw them both from their beds and sent them flying out of the room and up onto the deck with weapons in hand. Just as they reached the deck, kittens following close behind they saw a pail shape shoot out of Heero's cabin. A confused but determined looking captain followed after shortly and they could not but follow wordlessly.

He ran just behind Heero as they followed Quatre though the streets of the city, glad in the back of his mind that it was so late that there weren't even a couple of drunks out anymore. They wound up the streets quickly and when he saw their destination he wasn't quite sure what to think but Quatre soared over the high rot-iron gates. He expected Heero to pause but the site of the house seamed to spur him in to a more determined chase.

"Wufei; Blast the gate!" Heero yelled over his shoulder

Duo felt the heat from the air around him vanish and glanced back to see a huge fire ball forming in Wufeis' hands. The Dragon let it fly at the sturdy gate, reducing it to ash with a loud crack and a bright flash of light giving their party free access to the grounds and house within.

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Rish and Trowa bolted into the dark house over the broken door. Despite his long strong legs Trowa was starting to fall behind the Heldel- Wolf and so he made a leap and wrapped his hands in the thick, long hair at the scruff of the beasts' neck, and the pair powered up the steps of the mansion and then strait down the hall to the master bedroom, they hit the at full speed and went flying into the room with a snarl and a flurry of fur and wood chips.

"Cathy!" Trowa shouted jumping to the floor and scanning the room quickly before spotting his sister sitting at her desk. Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes bloodshot from crying, and the dark developing bruise on her cheek told a tale all its own. Behind her stood the butler and a man Trowa did not recognize. The butler held a cruel looking dagger to the soft flesh of Cathys throat while the other held a scroll of paper smooth on the desk in front of her. He took an angry step forward but stopped short when the butler pressed the dagger closer. Rish stood with hackles raised and all the hair along his back standing on end, his tail sticking strait up behind him like a banner of the murderous intent that shown in his eyes.

"Look who it is, the bastard son of the bastard!"

It was Trowa's turn to bare his teeth in anger.

"You." Trowa snarled

"Yes me, I served your fathers' crazy fantasies for years and got nothing but I intend to get what is owed me! Isn't that right Lady Catherine."

"T...t...Trowa..." Cathy whimpered pitifully tilting her tear filled green eyes toward her brother.

"Let go of her..."

"Dakim, boy, my name is Dakim!"

"Dakim... let go of my sister."

"Or you'll what? I appear to be the one holding the cards or the dagger as the case may be."

There was a deafening cracking outside, like lighting, that made everyone flinch and Trowa had to close his eyes against the blinding light. The other man muttered something about mage fire before ducking to the side. Trowa instinctively moved to intercept him but as he was blinded by light that had flooded thought the windows from outside he only managed to nock the man off balance. Thankfully it was enough and Rish moved to jump the man where he lay. The glass of the window above Cathy's desk shattered and a pale form shot through, crashing into Dakim and dragged him to the ground. Trowas' head jerked to the figure on top of Dakim as Cathy stood and stared in shocked silence.

"Quatre?"

He received no coherent answer, just a snarl that dripped of bloodlust but for all Quatres valiant-ness in his tackle he was a lightweight and Dakim recovered quickly, throwing the little Lunar Guardian off and into the chair behind which Cathy stood in shock. Trowa made a move to rush the treacherous butler but was intercepted by a third person who he'd not seen when he'd scanned the room earlier. He dropped on one knee as the other was kicked out from under him. The cold steel of a dagger had just come to rest on his neck when another shape crashed though the window. This time it was Duo who came flying thought the window, a black cat on each shoulder as he jumped from where he landed on the desk into a kick that caught Dakim square in the chest. Trowa felt the heat of warm blood drip down his neck and turned to look behind him as his assailant dropped with a bloody gurgle to the polished wooden floor of the Bloom Mansions master bedroom. Heero stood above Trowa now, whipping blood off his rapier. The angry sailor glared at the scene within the room with eyes so dark blue that they were a match for the coldness of the winter night sky.

"Heero..." Trowa said with more relief then he realized.

"It seems that we made it just in time." Wufei said from the door frame which he leaned against.

"Aye, just 'n time" Duo echoed from his perch on Dakims chest. He could be quite heavy when he wanted to, and the two kittens clawed at the breathless mans torso with unrelenting vigor, they also insisted on doing their part to help in the battle.

Quatre warbled an agreement of his own as he righted himself and grinned up at a still silent Cathy.

"Damn it." Dakim murmured and he started to glow.

"Duo; Get away from him!" Wufei shouted from the door.

The spry young thief and both kittens jumped up and back as Dakim vanished before their eyes. The radiant green light of the teleportation spell faded into the dim orange light of the lantern and candle light of the room. The room was hushed for a few more moments before Heero broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Are you alright Lady Bloom?"

"Ye..yes..." Catherine said, pulling herself out of her shock, her legs collapsed under her and she shook with the pent up fear. Trowa got to his feet and went to his sister and wrapped his arms around her in a protective gesture. Rish left his long dead victim and joined the green eyed man, placing himself behind the emotionally exhausted woman so she could lean against his massive frame; he wrapped his tail around her knees in a comforting gesture.

"How did you know?" Trowa said after a moment, turning to look back at Heero, who'd been joined now by Duo, the kittens, Quatre, and a breathless Wufei.

"I didn't, I woke from a dead sleep and followed Quatre." The rest of the crew nodded, confirming the story. It was the same for all of them.

"But..."

"It is best not ask question of a miracle brother, just be thankful that it occurred and that because of it all of us are alive to be grateful."

Cathy was regaining some of her shattered composer and she stood and regained her balance long enough to reclaimed her chair. Rish laid at her feet content in the fact that the danger was over. Trowa stood as well.

"You owe these people a lot brother, as do I. How can I repay you?"

"Trowas' debt is already settled. But we can ask nothing more than a bed of you Lady, we are tired one and all." Heero said with the mutual consent of the rest of his crew who nodded in unison.

"Then the beds are yours take whichever ones you wish." Catherine said tiredly in a silent dismissal of the sailors who'd come to their aid.

Heero and his crew took the hint and left to find rooms in which they might sleep but Trowa lagged behind sensing that his sister was not quite ready to give into her weariness.

"What did he mean Trowa? That your debt had already been paid?"

"I had come to tell you just that sister, before all this ruckus..." he paused to take a breath "I am leaving, with them, to sail for a while. I do not know when or if I'll be back but it is something I want Cathy."

His sister looked as if she were about to break out into another fit of tear-filled sobs but she held them back, gulped down the sobs, and tried in vane to keep her voice from shaking.

"When are you leaving?"

"The day after tomorrow."

"So quickly... well... as long it is what you want I have no objections but please promise me you will be careful."

"Always dearest sister, and please do not sleep in this room tonight."

"Of course."

Trowa turned to leave and was almost in the hall when Cathy called after him quietly.

"Trowa, that gift of yours that you've locked away, I pray you embrace it now. These people will not rail you for it, they are an odd lot themselves. Besides you never know when it might come in handy." She smiled tiredly

"... I will."

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_**.:Note from the Author:.**_

_Sorry for the long wait, I've had a lot on my plate as of late. Hopefully I will_

_be back to writing on a regular schedule soon but until then I hope you'll bear _

_with the time between chapters. I'll make it worth your while don't worry. :)_

Don't forget to review! Just press the little purple button there on the bottom of the page.

_**:Remember: **_

_There are links to Illustrations on my profile page, and if you want to draw _

_some art of your own then feel free to do so, let me know or send me a copy and _

_I'll put up a link to it on my profile._


	7. Chapter 7

Gundam Wing Fan Fiction by White Wings

AU Fan Fiction

Rated for language and violence

_**Disclaimer:**_

"_I refuse to write anything here concerning the fact that the names of the characters belong to someone else!_

_It's ridiculous; all the readers KNOW that already! Sheesh!"_

**Weather and Haul Wind**

Chapter 7

The day passed quickly, most of it was spent ether describing the events of the previous night to the police, who had come to collect the bodies, or packing the few belongings the he had. Most of them were books. There were two boxes full of them sitting next to the stair the contents ranging from philosophy to how to "cook a meal in ten minutes." Some of them were quite old, some were new, some where even hand written copies of others but they all had their usefulness. Besides the boxes of books, which Heero had encouraged him to bring, he had a small duffle bag of clothing and his late fathers' notes, all of them that he was able to find anyway. His father had never been the neat-and-tidy type and had often made several copies of the same sheet of notes incase one was misplaced somewhere in his wreck of a study. He was uselessly trying to organize the random bits of scribbled information when Rish padded down the stairs and pressed his cold wet nose into the back of Trowas' neck causing the tall green eyed man to twitch involuntarily. The huge Heldel-wolf sat back on its haunches panting with his tongue hanging out laughingly as a pair of bright green eyes glared over a fine bones shoulder at him.

"You think that's funny do you?" Trowa muttered to the beast but it just smiled with that wolf-ish smile.

"Trowa, are you ready?"

Cathy came in the front door and left it open as she crossed the stone tile floor to where he sat on the last stair fingering a weather stained notebook whose pages were falling out.

"Just about."

Through his long brown bangs he watched his sister as she tucked her long skirt under her knees and sat down next to him, laying one arm over the neck of Rish, who leaned into the embrace. She was silent but Trowa could tell she was desperately wanting to say something, perhaps she just could not find the right words. He tucked the last of the tattered notes into the large, water-proof, leather satchel and stood.

"I guess I should get going, the wagon is here." He said, looking out the door and down the long drive as a horse drawn wagon came trotting up the paved way.

"Wait." Cathy said softly, reaching out and catching the edge of his long sleeved tunic with a delicate thin fingered hand. "Trowa..." He heard the border of tears on her voice and turned to face her as she stood up and embraced him in a strong hug with arms that didn't look as if they should have been able to crush a mans ribs, but did in her sorrow. "Take care of yourself, I'll miss you."

"Hm." Was all he could reply

The wagon master helped to load the boxes into the back of the bed and then when he and Trowa were both settled in the seat he clicked at the matched pair of bays and took off down the drive. Trowa chanced a glance back though his long bangs and saw his sister standing in the door with Rish sitting at her hip. She stayed on the porch waving goodbye long after her brother disappeared from site and then retreated into the house to cry the tears she'd been holding in since the moment he'd told her he was leaving.

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Heero and the crew had gone back to the Wing early that morning, after the hearty breakfast the Cathy Bloom had insisted they stay and eat, to make the preparations to leave as the tide left early the next morning. When Trowa and his wagon arrived late that evening, as the sun began to dye the sky all shades of pink, orange, and purple, Heero was checking the condition of the anchor chain while Duo was scurrying up and down each Yard checking that none of the ropes that held the sails to them where frayed or worn. These were all things they'd done when the first came into port but it never hurt to be cautious. Wufei was below with Quatre in the Galley preparing a light meal and checking the food stores to make sure none of the goods had spoiled while they still had the opportunity to replace them. Despite their insistence that she owed them nothing Lady Catherine Bloom had impressed upon them a large sum of "change" to "help here and there" and she had refused to hear another word of it after the heavy canvas purse rested in Heeros' palm.

Duo waved enthusiastically to the green eyed man as he all but glided down out of the wagons seat to the wooden harbor planks with a catlike grace that seamed perfectly natural... at least to the Wing crew who all had a kind exceptional grace that each had developed somewhere in their lives. Heero finished his check of the anchor and walked down the portside plank to assist the green eyed scholar with the heavy boxes of books. Duo repelled down the mast with the help of a rope he'd attached to the railing of the crows' nest landing on the deck with soundless feet and then hurrying over to offer what assistance he could at loading his new shipmates' belongings. Trowa opted to take up lodging in the other, until now unoccupied, crew quarters. His books, which Heero noted as he helped to place each on a shelf, were many and of grate variety. Of the three built in book shelves in the room they filled two of them the third held Professor Bloom's notes on mystical creatures and other animals of the world and one odd trinket that resembled a crystal ball except that it had a pearl-like quality to it instead of being clear. Trowa said that it was an egg of some sort that his father had collected on one of his many expeditions; but there nothing in the mans writings suggested what was inside said egg. It was a mystery that fascinated Duo and a round object that excited the kittens. Shin and Scythe both sat on either side of the sphere and stared at it for hours. They were still there when Trowa returned to his room after dinner.

"That's quite enough I think." He said as he crossed to the book shelf from the door and picked up a kitten in each hand and then moving to deposit them outside the room, he shut the door quickly so that they could not rush back in. He sighed deeply and all but collapsed into the mattress of the nearest bunk. He lay there for a moment wishing desperately to be able to go to sleep but forced himself up and to the desk. He pulled out the first group of research papers, a stack of clean paper and a quill and ink set that had conveniently been added to the supplies of the room and started about the grueling task of re-writing all the notes.

It would take a long time; he had no doubts about that, so there was no point in procrastinating. Most of the notes were worn to the point that it was difficult to decipher what was written on the aged cypress paper, other pieces were written so messily scrawled that one could almost say that it was just scribbles.

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Trowa had been about his work for some time now. Through the wall he could hear one of his crewmates snoring rather loudly and he wondered how the other continued to sleep. He put down his quill pen and rubbed his writing, it was sore from the constant use but he had a lot to go yet. With a sigh he reached for the tankard of water he'd brought from the Galley only to find it oddly light and realized that he had, in his absent minded state, finished off the water already. With a groan he let his head fall to the cushion of his arms and with a most uncharacteristic whimper he reached for the pen once again a few moments later.

The quiet sound of feet padding up behind him made Trowa turn and he saw Quatre as he was when they'd fist met; in the form of a little boy of about ten summers. If it weren't for that fact that the unclothed Guardian had a pair of soft feathery wings and tiger like arms one would never have thought him different from any other ten year old child. The blue eyes creature stopped by the arm of the chair and offered something to the green-eyed scholar: a fresh tankard of water. Trowa took it gratefully and thanked Quatre with a nod. The brilliant blue eyes of his little companion shone with gleeful delight at the thanks. He warbled out something that almost sounded like "you're welcome..." almost... Trowa watched the little one scamper out the way he'd come, closing the door behind him carefully as not to make noise that could wake the others, quite a courteous maneuver for such an energetic creature but it made since when he thought that is was Heero who'd been raising Quatre. Trowa to a deep swig of the cool water and went back to work.

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Heero leaned against the wall just outside the door to Trowas room; as Quatre shut the door ever so carefully he allowed himself a small smile. Taking Quatres outstretched hand he led the way back upstairs to his own quarters.

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Sleep fogged eyes blinked open to the sound of fishermen preparing their vessels. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and let his feet rest on the cold wooden floor for a moment before heaving himself up to standing and stretching. His room mate murmured something in his sleep and rolled over. With a sigh Wufei pulled a clean shirt from the stack on the top bed of his bunk, not surprise that it was covered with short black hairs; he was sure the kittens LOVED to sleep on the crews clothing. He was out in the hall, padding his way down to the Galley a few minutes later, above him he could hear the footsteps of someone up on deck, no doubt Heero was already up making final preparations to leave. The messy haired young man had sailed this ship in and out of harbors by himself before so this task was obviously no problem for him. It would help of course if there was a hot mug of black coffee waiting for him to take the edge of the cold of the morning mist when he was done though and Wufei, as the cook, knew this well.

He set about working the coals in the stove into a steady flame again before dropping into the cargo hold for supplies. The well stocked cargo hold was his pride, organized, clean, and rat free thanks to Shin and Scythe. Pulling a little of this and that from a few crates he returned up the steep staircase to the kitchen where he spread the items out on the clean countertop before going about the task of cooking it all up to feed the crew. Heero, he'd learned, was not a picky eater. For the most part his captain would eat anything that didn't run away first. There were some exceptions for course but nothing significant. Duo, their accountant of sorts, was much the same as Heero except that he at twice as much as a man twofold his size. The young rouge was definitely their most voracious eater. Quatre liked sweet fruits and fish best and Wufei had notice that he picked out sour or strong smelling things like onions before eating his food. It was for these "people" he based his menu on. Trowa was a new addition so until the dragon clansman had yet to have time to study his eating habits.

He absentmindedly set the cup of hot coffee on the counter while the rest of his attention was focused on the skillet sizzling on the open flame of the stove. The sound of porcelain scraping on wood told him in the back of his mind that Heero had arrived and clamed his morning dose of caffeine.

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After Heero was settled and started on his second cup of coffee Duo drifted in and stretched with a wide yawn, followed on the heals buy Shin and Scythe. Quatre came scampering in as Wufei was moving the food to the table, a large crab in his hands. He showed it to everyone, quite happy with his catch, eventually he handed it off to Wufei who grinned and disappeared with the crab, only to return a few minutes later with a bowl of fruit. By this time Trowa had joined the rest of the crew, slightly rumpled and tired looking he nodded a greeting before sitting down to eat.

After the last of the sleepy aura wore off the meal became quite energetic. Heero and Trowa, who still looked as though he needed a few more hours of shut-eye, discussed their course while Duo and Quatre argued over the last link of sausage which Wufie ended up claming just to stop Duo's insistent ramblings. This earned him a frustrated glare but it was good so he looked away and chewed on it intently.

The first to arrive and the first to leave; Heero stood up from his place on the bench and re-dawned his thick leather gloves. Checking the length of rope and short dagger clipped to his waist he walked out of the Galley with purpose. Duo followed their captain, knowing instinctively that it was time to climb up to the crows nest. Trowa offered to help with cleanup but Wufie graciously refused him.

"You look like death himself, go get some sleep and rest that hand of yours." The dragon said as he stacked the plates and empty platters on one outstretched arm.

Trowa sighed with a small grin before nodding submissively, apparently Wufei wasn't the only one to have told him this, and so he walked quietly back to his own room. This left just Wufie and Quatre in the Galley with the kittens. The little guardian, who had grown significantly since Wufie had first met him, was sitting at the table playing with the silverware. He reluctantly gave the shiny objects to the cook when he was asked for them and hopped down from the bench, following Wufie into the kitchen like a chick.

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Heero moved quickly though the steps of getting the ship ready to sail, he'd finished most of his routine before breakfast and was just putting on the finishing touches. Duo climbed agilely up into the crows nest, singing a little song to himself as he did so, Heero watched him out of the corner of his eye as he griped the fluke of the Killick as he brought it up out of the water and lashed it to the railing. He went about unfurling the sails once the anchor was secure and one by one the sails filled with the wind coming down off of Redenge Island. They were off, sailing out of the harbor as the sun came over the edge of the water, lighting their way and promising clean weather and good sailing.

With a final tug to the line Heero moved gracefully to the helm. It was a good feeling, to have that hard polished wood clutched in his hands, as he spun the wheel to the left. It wasn't long before the island of Redenge disappeared into vast blue of the waves and they were once again in open sea. Quatre was gliding lazily near the bow, watching the sun shimmer on the water and looking for any unsuspecting fish that should happen to come to close to the surface. If the little blond caught anything it would make a tasty addition to their next meal.

As the sun moved across the sky Heero let Wufie take the helm and went about his daily routine: making rope from the fiber of those that had broken or become worn, mending worn patches in spare sails, and washing the deck. Quatre loved this chore and so he did most of the work, bringing up the water and sloshing it across the places that had yet to be or had just finished being scrubbed clean.

The days passed one after another like the ones before. Heero, Quatre, Wufie, and Duo spent most of their time on deck during the day while Trowa stayed below deck for well over two weeks copying and organizing his fathers' notes. Shin and Scythe took a liking to the young scholar and when they weren't causing trouble or playing with Duo in the crows nest they curled up at his feet and when he slept they curled up on his pillow.

Trowa, Heero and Wufie had all agreed that they should head to another island with a similar myth of Lunar Guardians to see if they could find out more about Quatre. So when Duo cheerily hollered "Land Ho" on hot afternoon, the whole of the crew was excited, some for other reasons then a chance to dig for information but excited none the less. The island was called Daphar; like Lunar Port it had a shrine to Lunar Guardians at its heart, though it was much better cared for then the ruins on Lunar Port. Here the captain of the Wing hoped he might find some much needed answers to some very urgent questions. Once Wing was docked in the harbor the crew disembarked, all except Shin and Scythe who sat at the opening from which the gang plank extended to the dock in an action the spoke of their intent to guard the ship.

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Duo was ecstatic to be on land again, sailing was all well and good but the felling of solid ground beneath ones feet... you just cant top that. With a burst of energy only he could muster Duo raced off from the rest of the crew and disappeared from their view into the winding streets of Daphar. With the coins he'd earened from selling Heero's carvings in Redenge jingling in one of his many pockets Duo trotted down the streets. There were many sailors going from shop to shop. Some were merchants: their flamboyant, well kept appearance gave them away. The navy sailors were all in uniform so they were easy to pick out, and avoid. And the privateers, they had their presence in Daphar as well. Having had enough of pirates all together, Duo slid to the other side of the street whenever he saw one, or someone who gave him the impression of "Pirate." He wasn't at all interested in having a repeat of the night he and Wufie joined Heeros' crew. But seeing all these different factions of sailor Duo began to wonder, what was Heero? And for that matter what was he? None of the Wings crew fit the description of a pirate or a merchant, and they definitely weren't enlisted men so what were they to call themselves?

So distracted by his thoughts was Duo that he almost fell over with shock when a big hand landed on either of his shoulders. He did jump and squeal rather girlishly but managed to save himself the embarrassment of falling flat on his ass. He looked up, for that was the only way to meet the eyes of the man who held him.

Easily more then six and a half feet tall the long, wavy, well kept curls of the tall man framed a handsome chiseled face with bright brown eyes that practically glowed with mischief. He was dressed all in black except for the silvery hilt of his rapier where it hung at his hip.

Duo must have looked astonished or at least awe struck because when the man let go of his shoulders he laughed and roughly tussled the hair on the top of Duos' head with one of his big, long fingered hands.

"Best keep your mind from wanderin' away from your feet there lad, lest you bump inta someone whos not as good humored as I."

Duo could only nod in agreement before he pulled away in a quick retreat and trotted off down the street away from the man and into a small ally between two houses. From here he turned around and looked back, watching the man in black with suspicious eyes. From his new vantage point he watched as the tall man placed a hand on the shoulder of a much shorter woman who was in the process of sheathing her own rapier and giving the man a stern look. She said something and the man just laughed and waved the comment off.

This woman was a good two heads shorter than the man in black and she was dressed in a pristine white set of trousers and equally white tunic. Her long, strait, dark hair was pulled back into a severe high ponytail, a pair of small glasses that looked like they would belong to a librarian rested on her nose but they did nothing to block her intense dark brown eyes. She was as beautiful as her partner was handsome though Duo could tell that there were a lot of sharp, cruel, thorns on that white rose. Duo watched the pair disappear into the crowed as they walked down the road side by side until he couldn't see them anymore before he emerged from his ally and continued up the street.

He went into a few shops and picked up a few trinkets here and there but his mind kept flickering back to the man-in-black and the woman-in-white. The haunted the corners of his mind every time he stopped to think.

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Heero, Trowa, and a disguised Quatre went strait to the shrine from the harbor while Wufie went off to sell what of Heeros' carving he could and procure whatever supplies Wing and its crew were in need of. Heero walked with a one minded forwardness while Quatre happily skipped about in all directions, looking at this, poking at that, and Trowa walked with much the same purpose as Heero but he let his eyes wander over everything in the same fashion that Quatres hands were exploring. They reached the shrine eventually and stopped outside its walls for a moment's respite.

The walls of the Shrine of the Lunar Guardian were tall solid sheets of rock that stuck strait up in the air. The upper edges were worn down and rounded out but were still at least as tall as two grown men and a good three feet thick. The ancient trees within the walls of the shrine rose even further above their heads then the walls, their dark green leaves shading all under their wide canopies. Heero only took a moments to take all this in before leading the way though the huge half circle arch that served as the shrines only entrance.

Within the shrine there were people roaming around here and there, some were caretakers others where either residents of Daphar there to pray for safe sailing or visiting sailors playing tourist. The marble stone on which Heero stood wove its way to the center of the shrine where the marble was placed just so that it make a huge circular center square in the center of which stood a huge statue of a Lunar Guardian. As they got closer Heero realized that there were many more realistically sized Lunar Guardians frozen in flight around the central figure. It was an impressive sight to behold but the eerie felling that the eyes of the smaller guardians gave him sent continuous shivers down his spine, they were too lifelike. He sent Trowa a glance and the tall scholar nodded in agreement with the silent question. He was getting an odd feeling from the statues as well.

"You there; what do you think you're doing!"

The shrill exclamation of the grounds keep shook Heero out of his uneasy thoughts and to the small blond figure climbing up the side of the statue. He heard himself groan and his feet moved instinctively forward after Quatre. The grounds keeper beat him there by just a few seconds but those few seconds were enough to scare poor Quatre. When the little blond realized that the angry man was climbing up after him he braced himself and jumped off. Weeks upon weeks of practice helped him calculate the power and angel at which he needed to launch himself to land square in Heero arms below.

As soon as Quatre hit him Heero wrapped his arms around the little Guardians body and turned heel towards the archway. Trowa was hot on their tail as were the grounds keepers. Quatre babbled something about being a bad boy in Heeros' ear as he ran but he could only shake his head in disagreement because he need all the breath his lungs could get at the moment. Half the town and six sharp alleyways later Heero and Trowa slid to the ground panting while Quatre warbled worriedly. They had finally lost the shrine keepers but neither of them had any desire to move for a long time. Heeros' calves were burning; he hadn't run that much that fast in a long time.

Trowas' head shot up for where he'd let it fall to his shoulder as the sound of approaching feet reached his ears. Both of the young men were about to spring to their tired legs and book it down another alley before an inquisitive, slightly worried voice called out to them.

"Heero? Trowa? Is that you guys?"

Duo and Wufei emerged from the alley way that they'd taken to get off the main street. Both had looks of confusion and worry on their well tanned faces. Trowa and Heero slumped back down to the wall with sighs of relief.

"What on earth were your running though the streets like that for?" Wufie grumbled as he raised an eyebrow at the exhausted pair.

"Doesn't matter." Trowa said shortly

"Oh yea? That true?" Duo gave Heero a look that said he wasn't buyin' it and the blue-eyes sailor sighed again.

"Were not going to getting any questions answered at the shrine, that suit you better?"

"Why? What did you do? Break the altar?"

"Close, Quatre went climbing."

"Quatre!"

"Mew..."

The little blond whimpered and tried to hide behind Heero but to no avail. Duo ended up chasing the young Guardian around the small ally until they both tired each other out. By now Wufie had gotten the whole story out of Trowa and Heero and the three of them were sitting quietly waiting for Quatre and Duo to finish their childish antics. There was an awkward moment of silence before Duo broke it with his eternally hungry stomach.

"Shall we to the tavern and get some food?" Heero offered

"Aye!" was the unanimous vote

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The tavern was noisy and full a people of all professions from basket maker to soldier, here the crew of the Wing ordered a hardy meal and were enjoying it thoroughly when a cherry voice interrupted them.

"Well look what we have here! Finally get your head out of the clouds lad?"

Duo about dropped his spoon when he saw the man in black walk up to their table out of the crowd. The rest of the crew all turned to look at the man who managed to stop their most energetic eater with a few words.

"You!"

"Yes, me. And you are?"

Heero stood and moved to intercept the man in black, though he did it politely.

"My name is Heero Yuy, I believe you have already meet my watchmen Duo Maxwell." He reached out his hand in a respectful gesture and the taller man took it.

"Ah Captain Yuy, I've heard of you. My name is Eduard Allen Blackwater, it's a pleasure."

"Indeed, though I think you must be mistaking me for someone else, I am not a man of any sort of fame."

"Oh poppycock, you're that young rough who let Edmar have it on Larker! Good show that." Blackwater laughed and patted Heero on the shoulder.

"Captain." Came a clear dry voice from behind the tall dark haired man and Blackwater turned and then with a sweeping motion half pulled half pushed a woman dressed completely in white up to his side.

"Good timin' kid! Heero, this is my Buffer and First mate May Lynn Armaro."

"Hello." May said shortly before elbowing her mischievous captain in the ribs and giving him a sour look.

Duo had been right, and she was even more beautiful up close.

"Ow, you're always so violent May." Blackwater whimpered playfully as he rubbed his bruised rib.

By now the rest of the Wings crew had taken to their feet and were standing behind Heero, and since Captain Blackwater had been kind enough to introduce May it only seamed right for Heero to introduce the rest of the crew.

"Hello, m'lady... This is the rest of my crew, Wufei Chang, Trowa Barton, and this little fellow is Quatre."

May's eyes flickered to Quatres face for a second before she nodded her "hellos" to the other crew mates and then she took to one knee as Blackwater said his and look Quatre strait in the face.

"Ah, a Guardian..." she whispered but Heero heard her and with a movement that was almost to fast to see he wrapped his fist in the callor of Quatres tunic and jerked him backward away from the woman to stand protectively in front of him.

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_**::Note from the Author::**_

"_Hey guys I'm sorry it took so long to update, really I am._

_I __**have a request for all my readers**_

_I've gotten some feed back that concerns me, my summery of this_

_story doesn't do it justice, I'd like you guys to give it a shot._

_Try writing a summery for this story biased on what you know._

_If you feel you kneed to know more of the plot to come in Weather and Haul Wind_

_to do it justice then send me an email or leave a review with your question._

_When you're done writing it e-mail it to me and I'll put the pen name _

_of the person with the best summery on the opening credits as thanks._

_**Please guys I really need your help.**_

"_Thank you every one who has reviewed so far. I really appreciate it._

_Hope you liked this chapter as much as the others. Keep reading and keep reviewing."_

**!CLICK THE LITTLE PURPPLE BUTTON!**


	8. Chapter 8

Gundam Wing Fan Fiction by White Wings

AU Fan Fiction

Rated for language and violence

_**Disclaimer:**_

"_I refuse to write anything here concerning the fact that the names of the characters belong to someone else!_

_It's ridiculous; all the readers KNOW that already! Sheesh!"_

**Weather and Haul Wind**

Chapter 8

"What..." Heero asked in a voice that was suddenly cold and icy like a winter storm "... did you say?"

May stood and as she was just about his height she looked him strait in the eye, meanwhile all the others seamed to have gone into a nervous silence. Even Captain Blackwater, who seamed to be an eternally lighthearted type, like Duo, kept quiet.

"I said: your little friend Quatre is a Lunar Guardian." May looked at Heero with the same expressionless face and suspicious eyes.

This time everyone heard her and the crew of the Wing all suddenly closed off and went into a defensive mode, behind May Captain Blackwater groaned and rubbed his temples as if he'd suddenly been hit with a migraine. Poor Quatre looked confused and was glancing over everyone's faces in a vain attempt to understand from where he hid behind Heero. All the noise of the surrounding tavern seamed to fade out; they were all focused on one thing, what the other would do next. Finally Captain Blackwater broke the tense silence.

"Alright, we seamed to have hit that particular subject poorly. May, I am afraid you are much too direct, stop that glaring it's very unbecoming."

May rolled her eyes in apparent annoyance but at the same time her tense shoulders relaxed and she stood up out of the slightly crouched position she'd taken as a defensive precaution. Heero, along with the other members of his crew loosened up a bit too but still warily stood in a protective circle around their youngest member.

"Care to explain?" Wufie asked, giving the odd pair a mistrusting look.

"Certainly, but perhaps in a more privet place. My shi..."

"An area neutral to both parties would be best sir." May cut in as her Captain spoke.

"Quite right, quite right; a neutral area would be best. Do you have any suggestions, Mr. Yuy."

"I know were we can go." Duo piped in and then with a wave of his hand he motioned them all to follow.

And so all seven of them filled out of the tavern following the braided thief along the stone streets though a few narrow alleyways and up a rather well hidden hill to what looked like a rundown mansion of some sort. The once elegant iron gates were twisted and bent as if they'd been slammed though. The house was two stories tall with every one of its windows broken, some were boarded up, some weren't and the structure looked as if it would fall over if the slightest wind blew. Duo lead them around the decrepit building to what had been a spacious, well cared for garden. It was now overgrown and the weeds had strangled out some of the transplanted flora. But in the center of the garden was a huge gazebo, the chipped and faded white paint only showed though in a few places where the thick vines of climbing roses and honeysuckle parted. It smelled wonderful and the isolated nature of the place made it quiet, only the chirping of the birds who'd made their homes in the huge overgrown flowing trees and the buzzing of the insects broke the silence as the followed Duo into the center of the Gazebo.

"So what cha think? Pretty nice ey?"

"When on earth did you find this place?" Wufei asked looking around himself at the scenery

"When I was wanderin' around town, after I ran into Capin' Blackwater an' May."

"This'll do nicely" Blackwater smiled with a nod of his head

"So then..." Heero found a seat on one of the rundown benches that lined the walls of the gazebo. "... it would seem its time for you to explain."

Quatre took a seat next to Trowa on the floor while Wufie and Duo took up positions on banisters that weren't hidden beneath a foot of tangled, thorny, vines. Eduard Blackwater took a seat on the opposite side of the gazebo from Heero and May took up a position near the center of the structure, and she began her story.

"We, my Captain and I, are here in Daphar investigating the sudden lack of Lunar Guardian sightings in the area. Up until about three months ago the people of this city were blessed with seeing at least one Guardian flying over the city a day, but those sighting suddenly stopped and a concerned citizen asked us to look into the matter."

"What dose this have to do with Quatre?" Trowa asked calmly

"Yea, how'd ya know he was a Lunar whats-it-not?" Duo chimed in

"Simple: the color of his eyes. Lunar Guardians all have crystal blue eyes, it is true, but there is something special about those eyes of theirs that makes them even more recognizable. You there, Duo was it? Look in my eyes and tell me what you see."

"Uh, brown with a black circle?" the thief stuttered, confused by the request.

"Refwect!" Quatre chirped and grinned

May turned away from the long haired brunet and set a soft smile on the little blond who just beamed at her.

"That's right, a reflection. In the eyes of Lunar Guardian however, there is no reflection. You will never be able to see yourself in their crystal blue eyes."

"Why?" Heero asked, and Trowa nodded in agreement

"The eyes of a Lunar Guardian are not like ours, though their eyes they can see something that no other being on earth can. The flow of energy that circles around out world, changing and making the weather, that is what they see at all times through those eyes. Those eyes also give them the power to change that pattern and so change the weather. That is why they are revered by sailors; to have the blessing of a Lunar Guardian is to have favorable winds and clear, storm less skies."

"Is that true?" Wufie asked Quatre "Can you see the energy of storms to come?"

"Mew." Quatre answered, nodding his head

"But we've experienced storms even with Quatre onboard my ship, has his ability to control weather just not manifested yet or must he learn to do that from another Guardian?" Heero looked at May for answered

"Guardians have the ability to change the weather at birth, so he has yet to be trained to do so." May answered

All was silent for a moment, except for the chirping of birds and the buzz of insects, as the crew of the Wing pondered this new information. Duo was the first to speak again.

"So we have ta find another Guardian so Quat can control it?"

"Yes."

"Were do we find one?"

"Weren't you listening Maxwell? There are Lunar Guardians here on Daphar."

"There WERE Lunar Guardians here." Trowa corrected "They've all vanished remember."

Silence again, May turned and took a seat next to her Captain on the bench before Heero spoke up.

"You said that you were here to investigate that disappearance, what have you found out?"

It was Blackwaters turn now, he nodded in agreement with Heero's statement, and they were indeed here to investigate the disappearance of the local deities. The question was, could they trust Heero and his crew...

"First tell me how the little one came to be with you." He asked Heero

"You think I had something to do with the disappearance of the rest?" Heero asked flatly, not liking being held in suspicion

"I didn't say that, I only wished to know your side of the tale, now that you know ours."

"I see..." Heero paused for a moment and the rest of his crew all looked at him. None of them had heard this story either and Quatre sure wasn't saying anything. Now was their chance to find out just how the little blond came to be their crewmate.

"... I met Quatre on Lunar Port, my home town, the night before I left that place to go sailing. He stowed away in the cargo hold and after I found him he simply made his home with me. He could have left any time but he seems to have chosen to stay." He glanced down at the blond who nodded enthusiastically at the blue-eyed sailor.

"Do you like it on the ship with Heero and the others?" May asked the little blond.

"Yesh!" Quatre piped happily at the woman which earned him another soft smile

Blackwater laughed and slapped his knee.

"Its settled then, I'll tell ya what I know..."

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Captain Blackwater and May took all of an hour to relay what they had discovered over the last week to Heero and his crew. The had cross referenced the last sighting of the Lunar Guardians with anything new or anything that had recently begun in Daphar and the only thing that came up on the suspicious list was the statue that sat in the center of the shrine. Their sources told them that an artist who lived like a hermit on the other side of the Island had "donated" it to the shrine shortly after the vanishings.

"We've yet to go looking for the hermit." Eduard finished with a shrug of his shoulders

"I see, so you suspect that the hermit has something to do with the vanished Guardians." Heero said after a pause for thoughtful silence

"Yes."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go find the hermit!" Duo said, jumping down from his perch on the railing

"I hate to be the barer of bad news, but I agree with Duo. The only way were going to be able to accomplish getting Quatre trained is to follow whatever leads we can grasp at." Wufie followed suite and jumped down from his rail.

"Are you also in agreement with Duo, Trowa?"

The scholar took a moment to think, mentally weighing each option against another before he silently nodded, his long sweeping bangs swaying ever so slightly over his green eyes. Captain Blackwater let his gaze rest on Trowa for a moment before turning away and looking at Heero.

"Then we can count on you for help in this matter?"

"Aye."

"Then I suggest we get a more accurate idea of where this hermit lives, yea?"

"Duo?" Heero glanced over his shoulder at the young thief

"Yea?"

"Can we leave that up to you?"

"Me? All by myself?... Yea alright." The braided young man said warily

"I'll send May with you then." Eduard said, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder "She's good at tracking down useful tidbits."

This comment earned the tall, curly haired captain a glare that rivaled Heeros' for iciness but she nodded and then motioned for Duo to follow and the long haired pair wound their way down the broken garden path and out of site in search of more accurate directions.

"If we're going to do this then we'd best make some preparations." Wufie said and the rest of the party broke up Heero and his crew made to return the Wing to make preparations for the trip, and Captain Blackwater to his Aldwin to make his.

The tall man hung back a little though as a thought struck him and as Trowa, the last of the Wings crew to file out, reached the entrance to the gazebo he called out.

"Trowa, may I have a word?"

Heero turned around and looked at his green eyes crewmate as Trowa looked from Captain Blackwater to Heero and then back before once again catching the gaze of his own captain and nodding, signaling them to go on ahead without him. So it was that Trowa Barton and Eduard Blackwater stayed behind as the rest of the group left the dilapidated garden.

"Yes?"

"Your name is Trowa Barton, that's correct?"

"That is the name that was given to me, yes."

"I see... then you're the adopted son of the late mythological researcher?"

"Yes... where is this going, if you don't mind me asking."

"Oh no, it's nothing dire. I was a friend of your fathers... a very close friend, and along with my condolences I have something for you."

"For me?"

"Yes, though I never thought I'd meet you here of all places. Would it be too much trouble to ask you to come back to my ship with me?"

"... not at all."

"Right then, follow me."

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Trowa followed Eduard all the way back to the harbor and down the dock were The Aldwin floated. It was an impressive ship, easily twice the size of Wing, she housed more then fifty sailors not including her Captain and Buffer. As Eduard lead the way across the deck every sailor stopped what he was doing, saluted the tall dark man and gave a respectful "Welcome back Sir." in greeting. Trowa almost though he was on a military ship with the manners displayed by the crew but then he realized that the crew of The Aldwin were all much to gruff and ruff-cut to be enlisted men, they simply had a great respect for the man they call their captain.

Below deck The Aldwins captain lead Trowa into his own quarters and shut the door before opening the curtains on the windows that looked out the stern of the large craft. The entire room was crafted of well polished Black Oak, from the table and beds to the bookshelves that lined the lined the entire east wall. His host offered him a seat at the table in the middle of the room and Trowa took it graciously while his host moved to the bookshelves and began scanning over their contents. His hand stopped on a book thick enough to be a world languages dictionary, Trowa was actually surprised that it wasn't. It turned out to be a box disguised as a book and when Captain Blackwater took a small golden key from his pocket and unlocked the tiny lock hidden within the fake pages a sudden wave of sickness made Trowa double over in his chair.

"Whoa! Hey!"

Eduard rushed over from his side of the table and put a protective hand on the young mans shoulder. Trowa looked up and Eduard instantly let go of his shoulder and backed up a step Trowas' almost always hidden eyes met his and faded from the brilliant red they'd become back to their normal placid green right before his eyes. After Trowa regained his composure and calmed his breathing he hung his head and refused to look up at the older man.

"So it is true then, what your father told me. You're a..."

"Yes...I am..." Trowa cut him off, not wanting to hear that horrible word said

"Now I understand. I understand why your father wanted me to give this to you."

Eduard crossed back over to the open box and lifted out an amulet about the size and shape of an egg. It was a brilliant emerald color and around it the twisted gold that held the large jewel in place formed what appeared to be a pair of hands. One was soft and almost human the other was jagged and crew with claws at its finger tips. Eduard held it out to Trowa and the young man reach out to take it with his left hand but as his fingers brushed across it his right hand grabbed hold of his wrist and jerked it away. Eduard was stunned for a moment as was Trowa, a least the left half of his face anyway. Beneath the curtain of brunet hair that was his bangs Trowas right eye shone red again; an angry red. With as much courage and speed as he could muster Eduard moved forward and slipped the amulet around Trowas neck. The red of his right eye immediately changed back to green as the heavy gold encrusted amulet came to rest on the young mans chest.

"Well your father was definitely an odd one." Captain Blackwater said, giving Trowa a good-natured smile while the green-eyed scholar panted in his chair.

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Heero noted Trowas return to the Wing with a thoughtful silence. The scholar looked trouble and Heero thought it best to let him be for a while. Duo on the other had, who had returned to the Wing just before the green-eyed man went bouncing right over to him to tell him the good news. He and May had been able to find out the exact location of the hermits home while they were in town and the thief was quite excited about it. May had apparently won Duo over unconditionally and now he referred to her as one of his best and dearest friends. Trowa managed a weak smile and a word of congratulations before claming to be very tired and telling his overenthusiastic crewmate that he was going to bed. Duo waved him off with a grin and then bound off to finish his preparations for their trip to the other side of the island in the morning.

They were going to hike around on a trail that branched off from Daphars main city around to the other side. Wufie was below deck in his kitchen with Quatre preparing a meal that could easily be packed away for a mid-day feast while Heero and Duo were checking their equipment: backpacks, ropes, canteens for fresh water and of course their weaponry. Heero wasn't sure what they were to expect on this trip so he thought it would be best to be prepared for everything, and he had every intention of doing so.

Everyone retired early that night. Trowa first, followed by Duo, then Wufie, then Heero. But Quatre felt the unease wafting out of Trowas room and could not bring himself to go to sleep when his friend was feeling so miserable. So the little blond Guardian quietly opened the door and slipped inside the scholars' room.

Trowa was laying with his back to the door on his bunk. He didn't seem to notice the entrance of the little blond until Quatre let out a questioning mew from where he stood right next to the mans bed. Trowa nearly jumped out of his skin but calmed quickly when he saw that it was Quatre and not some creature of his overactive imagination standing next to his bed.

"What is it Quatre? Shouldn't you be in Heeros' room sleeping?"

"Sad?" The little blond asked, climbing up onto the bed and plopping down next to the tall brunet.

"What? Me? Sad? Whatever made you think that?"

"I feel it, you sad?"

"No Quatre, I'm not sad."

"Then you hurt?"

"..." Trowa was surprised by the questions Quatre asked. Was the little one empathetic perhaps? "No Quatre, I'm not hurt either."

"Right?" the little blond furrowed his eyebrows; he didn't believe Trowa one bit. He could feel how miserable the scholar was and he was determined to find out why.

"Quatre..." Trowa sighed. Why was he being so adamant? Why didn't he just leave Trowa alone to deal with it himself like everyone else had always done? Why wouldn't he just leave? "What is it you want?"

"You feel better." Quatre nodded for emphasis, a motion he'd seen Heero do when he wanted something to be the final word on a matter.

Trowa was dumbfounded. What was he going to do? He hung his head in his hands for a moment, trying to think of a way to reassure Quatre that he was fine, but before he could come up with anything two small warm arms wrapped themselves around his chest.

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The morning came too soon for Duo, it always did. Even as the nights were growing longer there still wasn't enough darkness to sleep though for him. He heard Wufie roll out of bed in the bunk beneath him and he groaned as he knew that meant he to would have to be up and about soon to. Well, he was already awake, he might as well. So Duo threw his legs of the side and let his body slip gracefully to the floor. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and yawned. Something, or rather, two something's rubbed against his legs and scoffed sleepily.

"Mornin' ya trouble makers."

Shin and Scythe mewed in response and followed the long haired boy out of the room towards the galley as he half consciously re-braided his chestnut hair. He pushed the door to the galley open with his foot and let Shin and Scythe rush in before he stepped though. He yawned again and saw that Heero was already there with his morning cup of coffee. How Wufie had made it so fast and how Heero managed to drink that stuff black were both mysteries to the long haired thief. Mysteries like that could wait until later, however, and he sat down next to his captain on the hand carved wooden bench.

"Hey Heero, I was thinkin'..."

"Well that's new." Wufie pitched in from the kitchen

"Ya, ha ha very funny." Duo raised his hand and stuck up his middle and index fingers in a cursing gesture at the cook, who only shook his head and scoffed, before he returned to what had been the beginning of a, for once, serious conversation with Heero. "So I was thinkin' that if were going to go to this hermits place ta find out what happened to all the Guardians, wouldn't it be a good idea if Quat stayed here? I mean if what if somethin' happened to 'im?"

Heero seemed to think it over for a moment; giving the valid point Duo had brought up some serious thought, before answering him with another point that was just as valid.

"That's a rather astute thing for you to say but I think it better that Quatre come with us. He's to young to stay here alone and theirs no one I trust with his secret that can stay behind and watch him."

"I see..." Duo quieted to ponder this, snatching a piece of ripe fruit from the bowl Wufie always kept full on the table and taking a large bite out of it.

Quatre came in the door now, gliding over to the table with his fuzzy little white wings and plopping down on Heero's shoulders.

"Ro!"

"Finally decide to get up you lazy tot?"

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Trowa rolled over and sat up. He hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep but he felt much better now. He stood slowly and rubbed his head, reaching into a pair of dresser drawers for a fresh shirt and slacks before running a carved wooden comb through his messy hair. What had happened last night started filtering back though his mind. After Quatre had given him a hug he had broken down into tears, an action which had shocked the little guardian. Quatre had obviously never seen anyone cry but even still the little Guardian had stayed right next to him, lightly patting Trowas head with a soft compassionate hand. He must have fallen asleep some time after that, which would explain why he'd woken still wearing his attire from yesterday.

He touched the heavy amulet where it hung on his chest. Now that Blackwater knew he wondered if he should tell Heero and the others. The captain of the Aldwin didn't strike him as the keeping secrets kind but he sincerely hoped that he was wrong. He didn't want to have to go though that much pain again... ever.

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The whole crew of the Wing assembled in the town square where May had told Duo to meet and they waited. It wasn't long before the stark white garb of the long haired woman was spotted in the crowd and beside her a dark figure who was her captain Eduard Blackwater. They said their "Hello"s and then the seven were off. Duo and May took point as they were the ones who had exact directions, behind them Heero and Quatre followed. Eduard flanked the young blue-eyed captain and he in turn was followed by Trowa and Wufie who brought up the rear.

Everyone in the party, Quatre being no exception, was armed with a sword. Though Trowa found it more fitting to carry two pistols he also carried a pair of daggers in his sleeves just in case. Quatre was too small to carry a full sized sword so he too had a dagger strapped to his belt. Wufie, as a mage, need not have carried a weapon at all but the weight of the well balanced steel felt good on his hip.

By noon the party had reached their halfway point. Daphar was a small island and most of its inhabitants stayed within the city itself though there were a few well placed farms on the outer reaches of the city once they got around to what was considered the backside of the island there were no houses or dwellings of any kind to be found. The trail became small and narrow to the point were it was almost nothing more than a game trail. Still the seven marched on until Duo's insistent howling and Quatres rumbling stomach stopped them for lunch.

So far the journey had been no more unpleasant then a recreational hike but Heero was still wary of what was to come. He had his own thought about what they would find at the hermits, doubtless the others all had their own speculations and if so they too were keeping those thoughts to themselves. He nibbled lightly on a slice of bread on which rested a generous slice of cheese. He watched as the others eat as well, Duo and the man called Blackwater were almost mirror images of each other when it came to personality, though the older of the two had much more material to work from in the telling of outlandish stories and crude jokes. But it was a happy enough moment, even he himself and quiet, solemn, Trowa aloud themselves a snicker at the antics of their companions. They couldn't stay and eat forever, eventually everyone ate their fill and Wufie wrapped up what was left of their provisions and placed them back in his pack, once he was done the group continued on their way.

The sun was till high in the sky when the cabin, rather shack, of the hermit came into view; Heero stopped and looked down on it from where he stood. A swift spell of illness rippled though his abdomen but he quickly fought it off, this was no time to get cold feet... but somewhere in the back of his mind something whispered that it wasn't cold feet his body was warning him of.

The party made their way down the hillside to the cabin and collected about twenty feet from the door. Quatre was clinging tight to Heero's pant leg as if he feared some great beast would lash out and take him; he wanted to go no further. Heero felt the same, and it was evident by the expressions on the faces of Trowa and Wufie that they too felt "wrong." If May was under any stress or feeling any discomfort she showed none of it, her posture was a strait and noble-like as it always was, with no hit of any emotion on her stony face. Blackwater and Duo didn't seem to feel anything either but then again, they didn't seam to be the most observant of people. May took charge after a few moments when it became evident that no one else was going to. She strode up to the door and politely rapped on it with the back of her right fist, her left resting nonchalantly on the hilt of her rapier.

"I wish to speak with the master of the house." She said in a calm, clear voice

There was no answer so she knocked again and more loudly repeated her claim, never once changing the tone in her voice. When still no answer came she reached out and turned the handle, finding the door unlocked, pushing the door open and disappearing into the dark recesses of the old house for a moment before appearing again and motioning for the rest of them to follow, and they did... though reluctantly.

Heero walked in slowly, following May further into the house. Once all of them were inside they searched for candles or lanterns, it was dark within the walls of the hermits' home. Duo was the first to find a candle and he lit it quickly, as he was beginning to feel uneasy in the darkness, but sorely wished he hadn't once the yellow flame flickered to life and filled the dark room he was in with a orange glow.

"By the gods... HEERO!"

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_**::Note from the Author::**_

"_Thank you every one who has reviewed so far. I really appreciate it._

_Hope you liked this chapter as much as the others. Keep reading and keep reviewing."_

**!CLICK THE LITTLE PURPPLE BUTTON!**


	9. Chapter 9

Gundam Wing Fan Fiction by White Wings

AU Fan Fiction

Rated for language and violence

_**Disclaimer:**_

"_I refuse to write anything here concerning the fact that the names of the characters belong to someone else!_

_It's ridiculous; all the readers KNOW that already! Sheesh!"_

**Weather and Haul Wind**

Chapter 9

"By the gods... HEERO!"

The blue eyed sailor was their in seconds, rounding the corner out of the darkness that enveloped the rest of the house into the dim light provided by the candle that Duo had lit. His yes widened with a mixture of shock and horror from the doorway.

Duo stood frozen in the middle of a large room in which stood a desk and small table. The north wall had a large window that was covered by a thick dark curtain, the south wall held the door, and on the east there were books and charts, a normal enough state to be sure but the west wall made Duo, Heero, and everyone who followed them in sick to their stomachs. For on the west wall there were shelves and shelves of jars and in those jars floated eyes. Crystal blue and clear, the jars held the eyes of Lunar Guardians.

Wufei collapsed against the doorframe and vomited what of his lunch was left in his stomach. Trowa, like Duo, was spell bound by the disgusting sight and though he wished it with all his might he could not look away. Blackwater looked away, unable to continue gazing at the scene any longer or risk becoming violently ill like Wufei. May again had a stoic look about her, her face unchanged in the sour, yet calm appearance. Quatre however broke down crying. He let his grip on Heeros' pant let loosen and he slid to the floor sobbing hysterically. He babbled something in between his sobs but Heero couldn't understand him. Heero crouched down and wrapped his arms around Quatre, who flung himself into Heeros chest and cried harder.

"Who could have done this?" Wufei asked after recovering a bit but still shaking from is stomachs vicious uprising.

"The hermit..." Duo growled as he spit on the floor in disgust

Heero stood slowly, giving a still sobbing Quatre to a solemn Trowa.

"Well now we know what happened to the Lunar Guardians."

May nodded and turned to her captain for a brief moment then turned back to the group.

"This also explains the statue in the shrine. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, in a Guardians case they are the soul, without a soul they simply turned to stone."

There was an awkward silence then, no one knew what to say if anything at all. Blackwaters' whole demeanor perked for a moment and that was their only warning. A crooked figure, thin and gangly with age spun around the corner into the room. A near toothless mouth gapped at the party of seven before bellowing in anger.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass into my house!"

In an instant Heero and his comrades all sprang away from the door and fell into defensive positions. May glowered at the rotting old man; she was the closest to him, the first defense.

"You are the hermit?" Trowas voice all but hissed from where he crouched, holding Quatre protectively.

The eyes of the old man were dilated even in the near black darkness and they flickered from person to person like a wild animal until they landed on the tear-drenched face of little Quatre.

"A Guardian? The last no doubt... yes...Yes, shall have you! Come! Come to me and give me your power!"

The old man lunged, paying no attention whatsoever to the people who blocked his way, there was an earsplitting crack and the ceiling above them burst into a shroud of rubble. Heero and Duo ducked out of the way of a particularly large piece of chard wood and Trowa took a step back, sending Wufei, Quatre and himself stumbling into the fragile window pain that was covered by the dark curtain. Eduard and May both sprang for the hermit but missed, he was shockingly quick on his feet for such an old man and the hermit jumped into Trowa as he and the others fell though the window, becoming tangled in the thick curtain.

Duo shook the soot and ash from his hair and blinked up at the sky that was now visible though the gapping hole in the roof. It was dark and filled with ominous clouds, nothing like the sunny sky they'd left behind when they had entered the house. Heero shook his head too, but because his ears were ringing not because of the charred remnants of the ceiling that clung to his messy brown hair. A call for help brought them to their feet and they dashed to the writhing chaos that was the curtains. Somewhere within the dark folds struggled Wufei, Trowa, Quatre, and the hermit. A frazzled dragon clansman rolled out, his hair slipping out the tight tail in which it was usually confined to ripple over his shoulders. A long gash on his cheek seeped red and his hands were saturated in the color. When the window had shattered many of the tiny shards had found new homes in his palms. Another loud cry erupted from the folds shortly after and a maniacal, half crazed hermit dashed out into the open spread of the meadow with a terrified Quatre clutched in his thin bony arms.

"Quatre!"

The little Guardian trashed about, swinging his thick dolphin like tail and clawing at the arms that held him with his tiger-like hands, his wings flapping furiously, yet uselessly, on his back. Quatre cried out.

"Ro! Ro!"

"Mine! He's mine! Hahahahaha!" The hermit laughed with a look of crazed delight spread on his wrinkled face.

"You...! Heero growled, reaching for and drawing his sword

"BASTARD!" The curse erupted not from Heero's throat but Trowas. The green eyed scholar threw the heavy curtain away from himself, blood seeping from cuts and marks that suspiciously resembled bite marks all over his body. His green tunic was torn and the heavy medallion lying against his chest shuddered as its wearer stood, shaking with anger.

"Give me you power, give me your eyes!" The hermit babbled, ignoring the approaching group as he griped Quatres neck with one gaunt hand and the young ones hands with the other.

"Ro!" the Guardian called out franticly, still trying to squirm away from his captor.

Duo moved to dart forward but screeched to a halt when a bolt of lightning struck the ground just before him.

"Yikes!"

"Eduard, move!" Wufei looked up from where he leaned against the ruined house, his useless hands being carefully cared for by May, when the normally composed woman suddenly shouted at her partner. The tall black haired man shifted his feet back in a quick retreat, narrowly escaping the path of another bolt.

With a shake of his head Trowas right hand gripped the egg sized amulet and ripped it forward, snapping the chain and sending it flying into the grass. Another bolt of lightning cracked with an earsplitting noise but this time it was met with and equally deafening roar.

"Quatre!"

The green eyes of Trowa flashed red for an instant before he clamped them shut, gritting his teeth, his fangs. The human form was imposed by another as if one was melting into the other, before long the bulk of a huge creature replaced Trowas' thin scholarly one. Heero stood frozen in place; his comrades too could find in themselves no strength to move, even the hermits' menacing laughing faltered at the sight. Before them loomed a beast, a monster. The thick forelegs were scaled with huge claws protruding from shockingly articulate looking hands, the thinner hind legs were willow like in comparison, built more for speed then strength though armed with an equally deadly arsenal. A thick tail with ridged scales protruding from coarse copper colored fur thrashed behind the creature like the tail of an angry cat. Its chest was wide though it melded into a thinner more streamline torso; it was covered with longer fur like that on the tail and the head...

The head of the beast resembled that of a lion, though its snout was longer and not nearly as broad, it held many deadly teeth gleaming white and no doubt as sharp as they appeared. The thick mane ruffed out around the head and merged down the spine into the shorter fur that covered the creatures' body. The creature with glowing red eyes let a growl rumble in its throat before letting out a deep rumbling howl.

"Omoibuki." Eduard breathed in awe

"What?" Duos head snapped back to stare at the older man.

"Omoibuki, the heavy armed demon... It's said to be the bastard child of a dragon and a chimera, I've never thought... May!"

"Here." The slim brunet was at his side in an instant

"This may get out of hand, stand ready."

"Aye."

The Omoibuki lunged forward with a shriek of furry, lighting skittered down from the rainless sky and struck at the creatures' body only to shatter and dissipate like a fragile china plate falling to the floor. The hermit cried out in terror as the Omoibuki barreled toward him, he broke into a run, throwing as shocked Quatre to the ground as he ran.

"No! No! Its my powere! Mine!" The hermit screamed, with each exclamation another bolt of lightning attempted to strike the monster but all failed

It was upon the man quickly and with one last terrified screech the hermits' voice gargled out as its body was ripped into unrecognizable pieces by both tooth and claw. Soon there was nothing left but blood soaked chunks to stain the grass, and then the monster turned. Its red eyes narrowed in a gruesome smile.

"May."

"Aye."

The long haired young woman was a Heeros' side now where he crouched, holding a sobbing Quatre protectively against his chest.

"You may want to step back Mr. Yuy." May offered before striding forward to meet the Omoibuki

With an elegant twist of her wrist she caught her ponytail up in one hand and unsheathed a hidden dagger with the other. One quick slice loosed the long hair and it fell in a silver wave to the lay lifelessly about on the ground. The deep brown color of her now short hair seeped out until it was all shimmering silver. Her well tanned skin became beautifully pale and her dark brown eyes became a bright gold. She looked shocking in her white outfit, all light except for the sparkling golden eyes, she stood in great contrast to the dark background of the clouds.

The Omoibuki growled and lunged for her.

"May!" Duo shouted in warning... it was not needed

The huge clawed hand of the monster stopped short of rending the woman to shredded flesh and instead was twisted under with such force that is pulled the Omoibuki off its feet, bringing it crashing to the ground.

"A reverse Samson effect?" Wufei said as he came to stand next to Duo and Eduard

"Dang" Duo whispered

"Not quite..." Eduard smirked

The Omoibuki was back on its feet now and instead of small young woman standing in-between it and the others there stood a huge wolfish dragon. Its long elegant head, neck, and body were covered in white fur and it serpentine body was supported by four, five clawed feet. Its golden eyes sparked laughingly, as if it were enjoying itself. It opened its mouth, reveling rows upon rows of sharp teeth, and it spoke.

"Halt in this madness, ere you cause damage you shall regret for the rest of your short life." Spoke a strong, demanding, female voice

The demon shrunk back, hissing. Its red eyes full of a strange mixture of anger, fear, and confusion. It took a step back from the dragon.

"A dragon prince?" Wufei stuttered

"Princess." Eduard corrected with a chuckle

"How... Why?"

Eduard only shrugged and turned back to the pair of enormous creatures in front of them, leaving Wufei to his own conclusions. The Dragon let out a rumbling sound that was almost like a purr. It was comforting in some odd way, the brilliant red eyes of the Omoibuki dimmed and even Quatres' sobs quieted.

"Return to yourself Trowa, there is no more fighting to be had this day." The dragons' voice was much more soothing now, less demanding and more like that of a mother comforting a child. The image of the Omoibuki started to shrink away, melting back into the familiar form of Trowa Barton.

Trowa made a quiet sobbing sound before his legs gave out and he fell forward into unconsciousness, the shimmering white hand of the Dragon reached out and caught him, holding him up in a protective manner. Then it vanished, the body of the dragon exploded into millions of shimmering specks and feathers floating away on the wind. May stood where its hand had been, Trowas unconscious body draped over her as she held him upright until she could safely lower him to the ground without fear of causing his already worn body more damage.

--

The sky had gotten very dark, very suddenly. It was strange, and the magnetic charge in the air was making his fur stand on end. Shin, the small black and white ball of fluff that he was, sat up from where he stood vigil over the floating wooden craft that was the home of his brother, himself, and all their human (and non human) pets. He mewed in confusion as his brother joined him. Scythe too was feeling the dramatic change in weather but his eyes were trained toward the center of the city where they were harbored instead of at the daunting sky.

The two kittens sat in awe of the sight, for where there had once been a magnificent shrine with a towering statue was now a blazing fire. Cries for help and shrieks of fear could be heard all the way to the docks. But on the wind there was another cry, a faint one that could only be heard by the ears of those who really listened, it was one of sorrow and worry but it was not for the criers self the feelings were presented. It was for the people who cried in fear and for help instead.

--

Trowa groaned and shifted against May. The woman's hair was once again its normal length and color, spilling out on the wet green grass around her but it was Trowa that held everyone's attention. Quatre had stopped crying hysterically by now, but tears still slid down his cheeks every now and again, the little guardian crawled forward on his shaky human legs and sat next to Trowa. The rest of the Wing's crew stood in a semi-circle around him.

"I cant believe it. Trowa... a monster…" Wufei breathed

"You've definitely overlooked the special needs of HIS diet." said Duo slapping the shorter man on the back and effectively breaking the tense air of silence that held the group.

"Duo. This is no laughing matter!" Wufei scolded as the long haired boy knelt down and shook Trowas' shoulder.

"Why not? It's not like Trowa suddenly turned into what he is, he'd been like this all his life right?" Duo looked at May who nodded her heard in agreement. "So why should it be a big deal if nothings changed. He's still Trowa."

"But!"

"I agree." Said Heero, cutting of a flabbergasted Wufei. "Trowa Barton is a member of my crew no mater what shape he holds, he'd no different than Quatre as far as I'm concerned."

Wufei sigh, he was defeated, and none to soon for at the moment Trowa swam his way back to consciousness and blinked up at the faces that were staring down at him. He groaned and lifted one heavy hand to his face to cover his eyes but not before Quatre caught a glimpse of the tears that were forming in the corners of the mans eyes.

"Owa?" the little guardian mewed, climbing onto the mans chest and wrapping his hands around Trowas much bigger one. "You be okey!" he said in a very definite tone and then he smiled a big toothy grin.

Trowa looked up into Quatres face, and at Heero, Duo, Wufie... Even Eduard and May whos' expressions were all reflections of Quatres... In varying degrees of course. The same feeling of "acceptance" and "understanding" came from each of his comrades and in that moment Trowa heard his sisters voice resound in his head-

"_Trowa, that gift of yours that you've locked away, I pray you embrace it now. These people will not rail you for it, they are an odd lot themselves."_

Trowa Barton had finally found true companionship, true understanding, and unquestionable faith in he friendship of his crewmates. And Trowa Barton wept.

Eduard smiled to himself, knowing that wherever his dear old friend rested, wherever his soul resided, that Trowas adopted father was at last a peace. The smile on his face, however, was short lived.

"Heero, look."

Eduard drew the attention of the crew of the Wing to the sky beyond the mountain all ablaze with the oranges and reds of a fire. The storm that the insane hermit had caused had done damage to the city, and it was burning fiercely.

"We got ta get back!" Duo said, grabbing Trowas' arm and pulling the green eyed scholar to his feet.

"Aye." May agreed and with that the group started the race back to the other side of the island.

Heero too raced after May and Eduard but the sight of the old hermits hut out of the corner of his eye stopped him dead in his tracks, no one seamed to notice, they were all to preoccupied with outrunning the destruction of the port. It took only a moment for Heero to reassure himself he was not crazy before he sprinted off, back to the hermits home and in through the broken window his crewmates had fallen though. He looked at the wall, covered with jars of crystal blue eyes for a second before he took up a chair, broke off a leg, and swung it with as much force as he could down each of the rows of jars. All around him the sounds of shattering glass echoed, the stench of distilled water filled his nostrils but still he swung until every last jar was broken and the precious treasures they contained lay strewn about the floor.

Heero breathed heavily for a few moments before sucking as much air back into his lungs as he could in his shock. At his feet each pair of eyes started to glow with an eerie white/blue light. They lifted into the air, swirled around him, and danced free of their prisons. The messy haired young sailor swore he could here singing faintly over the wind outside and before he knew it the hundreds of bright white/blue lights speed off out the window, souls in search of their rightful bodies. Only one pair of eyes stayed, flouting before him in all their blinding radiance. The voice of its soul making itself heard in the back of Heero's mind.

"Human, you have freed my daughters and myself. You care well for my only son. Now I shall repay to you the enormous debt that I owe. Keep them all safe, human, for the seas will always favor your sails."

A bright flash of light made Heero cringe away, throwing up his arms to protect his eyes. When he lowered them he stood at the dock before his ship, staring at the two kittens that stared right back from where they perched on the rails of the deck.

"Whoa. What the 'ell?" Duo's unrefined voice brought Heeros attention to the small crowd that stood with him on the docks. Duo, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, Eduard, May... they were all there, standing in bewilderment.

"That was odd." Eduard said, running his long callused fingers through his long wavy hair.

"What kind of magic was that? I've never felt anything like that!" Wufei said

"Guardian magic, but this is the first time I've seen it used like that." May said as she brushed a faint silvery dust off of her shoulders. "But I believe we have more important things to worry about."

May was right, the city of Daphar was burning, this was no time to be asking questions of miracles. The crew of the Wing set off at a sprint onto the ship, grabbing up buckets and pails, lengths of rope, and knives just in case. Then they joined the citizens and other sailors, who hadn't left at the first sign of trouble, in bucket lines bringing water from wells and from the sea herself to the fires in an attempt to halt the destruction of the beautiful port city. Most of Blackwateres crew was already mixed in with the fire fighters but after the return of their captain the rest showed up to help as well, adding another thirty or so people to the cause. It was then, while all the people of Daphar, her residence and visitors alike, were of one mind to save the town that the singing was heard.

Over the roar of the flames a soft song of many voices danced into the ears of the people. The singing grew louder and then here and there some one would should in alarm as a pair of white/blue orbs rushed past them, dancing on the wind that had kicked up about the same time as the singing. Soon there were so many dancing orbs of light at it was hard not to notice them and those orbs sought only one thing: the Lunar Guardian statue in the great shrine. Heero, his crew, and all the rest of Daphar watched as one by one each set of shining light found a home in the empty eyes of a statue and then as each statue began to glow, the singing became louder and rain began to fall thick and heavy from the smoky sky, dowsing the fire and stamping out the embers.

As the last remnants of flame hissed its last the statue of the Lunar Guardians burst and hundred of Lunar Guardians soared out and away, dancing on the clearing winds, singing their joy for all the people of Daphar to see. Many people wept for the sear beauty of it all, while others shouted thanks and praise. It was then, with the fire out and the city saved that a Lunar Guardian descended to Heero and his crew who watched the spectacle in respective silence and awe.

"We thank you sons of man and littlest brother. Our freedom has been returned to us, may it be that, like our father, we are in your debt. I shall pay mine." And then she flew strait

at the Wing were it flouted in the harbor and in a blast of color and light she became its figure head, and the crew of the Wing could only watch, and Quatre cried as his sisters flew far and wide away from Daphar leaving only she who'd become one with their ship and the king, who was the only one not to return to his body, leaving it a magnificent stone statue in the heart of the city, to find safe shores and forests from which they would once again watch and rule the weather.

--

Heero and his crew busied themselves with preparation to depart the port of Daphar. The people of the chard, but still standing, city had given them more then enough provisions and supplies in thanks for their help with the fire fighting. The governor of the little island had wanted to honor their names with a plaque on the statue of the Lunar Guardian King for saving the race of sea gods but Heero and the others had politely refused. They hadn't save the Lunar Guardian for a reward, if anything it was only chance that had pulled Heero away from the rest, back into the hermits hut to smash the containers that held the eyes and the souls of Quatres father and sisters.

"Oi!"

Heero looked up from the rigging he was looking over and caught sight of Eduard Blackwater, and in toe his first mate May, waving at them from the dock.

"Eh ther' ol' man, wha' cha want?" Duo called down to the tall Captain of the Aldwin from where he hung upside down on the edge if the crows nest checking the ropes that controlled the sails.

"Yer, never gonna get a girl with an uncivilized tongue like that, boy. Best you come down here so I can nock some manners into ya." The dark man called back, his eyes a twinkle with laughter

"Try it, ya ol' codger!" Said Duo, shaking a fist at the older man in a joking manner.

Eduard and May had come to say their goodbyes as they and their crew were ready to set out ahead of schedule, a thing that made May quite happy it seamed.

"If we ever run into each other again, I'll buy you a drink Yuy. Keep you safe now, your goin' places you are." Blackwater said, slapping the shorter man on the back and giving him a quick hug before waving his goodbyes to the rest of the crew. May bowed to Heero, and Wufei who had just emerged from the hold where he'd been organizing their plentiful stock, before turning to follow her captain. She stopped before stepping off onto the portside gangplank and reached inside the pocket of her elaborate white coat.

She turned a small, egg shaped, item in her hands a few times before tossing it into the air, catching it, and then throwing it with a deadly accuracy into Trowas' chest on the other side of Wings small deck.

"Take better care of that, it was your fathers final gift." She said, smiled, and then vanished out of their view.

"I think were ready now." said Wufei, placing a bandaged hand on Heeros' shoulder

"Aye, so do I." Heero responded

The young captain of the Wing shouted out the order to depart and for a few furious moments all of the crewmen, Quatre included, were all a twitter with movement as they guided the small vessel out onto the open sea.

Shin and Scythe bounced around after their partner, Duo, as he leapt up the yard and back into the crow's-nest were he watched the open expanse of the blue water spread out before him, the wind filling their sails whipped his braid around over his shoulder. Trowa sat on an empty barrel with an enthralled Quatre sitting next to him looking over the mans arm at the book the man was reading out loud to the little guardian. Wufei returned below deck with a slight grin spread across his face. And Heero, stood behind the wheel keeping Wing on a strait path a peaceable feeling creeping into his soul. This is how he wanted thing to be for as long as he could keep it so. This was his paradise.

"So it appears we are once again without the information we set out for." Trowa said, looking up at Heero.

"Aye, so it dose. But we do have our own resident Lunar Guardian, why should we need questions answered?" Heero shrugged

"I quess that makes sense.. But who is going to teach Quatre to control his weather working?"

"I will." Said a sweet echoing voice and the misty form of a female Lunar Guardian shivered into existence on the decks railing

Quatre warbled happily and Heero soon recognized the ghostly figure as the Lunar Guardian who had taken up residence in the figure head of his ship. Quatre left Trowas side in favor of his sister and the two sat and mewed back and forth in the musical language of the Lunar Guardians. Trowa sat and smiled slightly, content that his little companion was happy. Heero watched, ever the protective figure of strength onboard the good ship Wing.

"Where shall we head now, Trowa?" He called down to the young scholar

Trowa looked up at his captain with unbridled respect behind his eyes and gave a moments thought to the question.

"Favian perhaps? There is a creature native to that place that my father never finished making an entry on. Perhaps we could finish it for him Captain."

"Favian it is then!" Heero said, turning the wheel to the left with a soft hand.

He had a crew, a ship, and a destination. What else could a sailor want?

--End Book 1--

_**:Note from the Author:**_

"_Thank you every one who has reviewed so far. I really appreciate it._

_Hope you liked this chapter as much as the others. Please review and look forward to the __Weather and Haul Wind__'s sequel: __Wind of the Mystic Island__."_

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